Fire and Ice
by Comycat1987
Summary: Ice wasn't your normal, everyday ninja. There was something diffrent, something that set her off from the rest. It wasn't strength or intelligence, a Kekkei Genkai or a nine tailed fox. It was something darker, yet more serene, a wolf of silver that can break into even the strongest of fires. (SasukeXOC, please just give it a chance! Have a good day regardless!)
1. Prologue

**I decided to make a new first chapter. For anyone new, hello! This story is a work in progress, so bear with me. It's bad, but I hope you stick around! Please read a few chapters into the story before reviewing, things happen and I get a little frustrated sometimes when people just review the first chapter and criticize something in it, when the thing they criticized comes up as a plot point later of is dealt with in some way. Really, you can do what you want, I can't stop you ^_^ This is a SasukeXOC, so there are going to be different opinions. SasukeXOC IS possible, if you look at it the right way. It's like a balancing act, between keeping Sasuke In character and making a good OC. It's really difficult and there isn't much room regarding OCs and time frames, but I attempted it anyways! I failed, though XD anyways, onto the story!**

Darkness laid thick over the land of Snow, clashing with the sparkling white blanket that covered the ground. The snow stretched out into the horizons, seemingly endless.

The night sky blazed with all the glory that the sun denied it, cold stars sprinkling deep purple and a full moon creating a gentle light. Everything was silent, so silent it was deafening.

In this silent, still landscape, something moved. Or rather, someone.

It was a child, around the age of nine or ten. She was very small, with a dirty, ripped cerulean blue coat and messy gray hair. She had green eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. Most odd of all was two black wolf ears tipped in white that jotted from her head, and a fluffy black tail that trailed behind her.

She moved through the snow with the ease of experience, but with an air of desperation.

 _If I don't get out of here by sunrise, they'll know I'm gone and come for me…_ she thought in an urgent tone.

 _Nadada will come after me and kill me… I need to get to the land of fire. I can't believe I trusted them…_

She felt torn. Her belly fluttered with fear. She felt like she shouldn't be running away from the people she served, her _pack_ , but in reality, they weren't her pack. Not after she found out what they did, who they really were.

The ninja controlling the land of snow were _evil_. They were wicked, seeking money and power. She couldn't stand working for them. More out of pain and loneliness than out of moral righteousness.

All she had wanted was to become strong, to have comrades to call her pack and to have the strength to defend them. After _that night,_ she was resolved to become strong and amount to _something_ , not a cowardly pup barking helplessly.

It was hard, suppressing her fear. She had no real strengths besides her speed- she hardly had any taijutsu knowledge and only knew a few of the basic Justus of the land of snow. Even using one of those was too much of a strain on her chakra.

She kept moving, her heart ramming against her chest in fear. The snow began to fade, then gave way to barren rock. Eventually, as the sun began to break from the distant horizon and cast a weak opening light on the ground, she reached the border between the land of snow and the land of fire.

Normally one would have to have taken a boat to get from the land of snow to the land of fire, but where Nadada and the others had been sent too, along with her, was past the sea and the closest to the land of fire she would ever get. So she left that night. She could have waited for the next night, when they would be moving to a village even closer to the northern tip of the land of fire, but She was too scared to wait.

Her stomach growled and her legs shook with hunger, but she didn't want to stop. Not till she reached the lead village.

As she climbed over the uneven, cold rocks, she began thinking. She didn't have a name, really. Nadada called her _dog,_ but not only was the name offensive to her, but it wouldn't work. She knew she needed a name for when she reached the village, something to be known by.

She couldn't think of anything, nothing came to mind. She reached a forest and tried to take inspiration from it, but that didn't work either. She kicked at the soft forest floor, ears against her head.

Eventually she reached a stream. The water flowed smoothly, the luminous surface reflecting all of the greens of the forest . When she looked at her reflection, she could see the outline of a dark wolf, with sharp teeth and emotionless eyes of ice.

She looked away, feeling a deep fear root itself on her veins. She shivered, though she felt no cold. Her body temperature had become unusually cold in her time in the land of snow. She had begun to wonder if she really had ice flowing though her veins.

Her thought train froze, and she remained still. _Ice…._

She smiled softly. _That's it! Ice! That's my new name, meh!_

She looked up, feeling a cool breeze make its way through the trees. Leaves fell off of the arched branches and danced in the wind.

Ice watched them intently. _I… I don't know what's going to happen… But I'm never going to let that happen again. Even if I'm weak, I'll become strong enough to make sure I'm never left lonely again… At least, I hope I will…_

 **Here you go. I'm actually a little disappointed with this, but I thought it would help shed some light on her name and motivations. You'll learn more about Ice and her background in the rest of the story! Since I wrote this before the next chapter, which was originally chapter one, there way be a shift in writing style. Also, when I was writing that chapter, along with most of the begging chapters, all of the you're's were changed to normal your's. It's not an oversite, look at the later chapters, it's just a formatting thing. Originally the program I wrote in wouldn't upload to fanfiction, so I had to transfer it to another program to upload it. There are also other issues that some from this. And most of the grammar mistakes are my oversite, remember these first few chapters are old. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and please remember to review! It helps motivate me, and with 20 chapters now, I think I should have more reviews! It makes me feel like I'm wasting my time… Anyways, hope you enjoyed, and have a nice day!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Double note: I made a new chapter 1. Or I guess prologue. I don't know. So some details may be repeated or something. Anyways, thanks for reading to the next chapter, though this one isn't my best :/**

 **Note: this chapter has been edited. Also, just to clear this up, I do not own Naruto! Or any characters from Naruto!  
** "Team 7 is... Naruto Uzamaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and... Ice."  
A small girl with messy gray hair and glowing green eyes glanced in the direction of Iruka, wide eyed and nervous. This girl, one who had black wolf ears,and a wolf tail, and who didn't even have a last name, was on team seven. She turned and looked out the window, eyes distant.  
Ice wasn't your normal teen ninja.  
She was small and fast. Not a hard hitter, but fast and smart enough to get out of a fight. Her street smarts did not do her justice, as she had little book smarts. Her scores dropped her to near the bottom of the class, and she usually cheated to get by. Her name was an odd one; who was named Ice? She had no last name, at least that anyone knew of. She was quiet and shy, awkward around her classmates. She was always seen sporting a gray shirt with a wolf design on it, with tan shorts and a bracelet that had multiple charms dangling from it.  
Perhaps one of the strangest things about her was her wolf features. Those black ears with white tips that stuck out from her gray hair and that bushy, black and white tail. Everyone kept their distance from her, not in the way they did with Naruto-out of scorn- but rather, out of fear of this strange wolf girl.  
No one, not even the top ninja, knew her secret. Only the Hokage knew, and needless to say, it stayed a secret.  
Sasuke glanced at her. It didn't really matter to him- or so he told himself, but there was something... So intriguing about her. Perhaps the way she stared at him sometimes. It wasn't like how other girls stared at him-no- it was far different. Head cocked, eyes looking into his, the deep green pools full of curiosity and... Sadness? There was something dark there, something that unnerved Sasuke. No one but her could do that to him, and quite frankly he didn't like it. The only thing he did like was that he didn't get the urge to kill her when she was around, which was surprisingly rare for the Uchiha. Either way, he hoped she didn't get in his way.

Naruto was okay with Ice. She gave him lunch money, once. It was discreetly;he wouldn't know it was her if he didn't see her running away from the spot where she put the gift. She didn't hate him, so he was cool with her. They sometimes said hello to each other, but Ice would always run away before much else happened.

Sakura had no feeling for her. She left Sasuke alone, so she wasn't a rival. She was odd, but maybe they could be friends?

The class was dismissed for lunch with their new squads. Ice circled the turbulent crowd of excited and loud new ninja, having no urge to have an encounter with them. She walked along the empty stone sidewalks, wandering with no real aim. She looked down at the rugged cracks and played a little game with herself, trying to avoid them. Wind played with the trees, sending leaves spiraling through the air. She looked up, watching the little green figures dancing against the cerulean sky. Ice felt a sudden surge of happiness, seeing the leaves move and feeling the breeze as it ran past. Her mind calmed, until _he_ passed her.  
She never expected to see Sasuke out this far. The Uchiha was walking with his hands in his pockets, staring past her at something only he could see.  
Time seemed to slow down as he walked past, her heart speeding. It felt like the air around Sasuke was electric, sparking. Ice sped up, feeling his gaze shift to her. And when she was sure he was far, far away, she looked back with a painful longing.  
 _What... Happened to you?  
_...  
Lunch had passed, with the new squads meeting their teachers. One by one, the teams left. Now team 7 was alone. Naruto was pacing impatiently, the wood floor creaking beneath his sandals. Ice hardly heard Naruto and Sakura bicker. Her heart was pounding too fast, her mind fixed on too many different things. Would he accept her? Or would he throw her to the side, hate her. She glanced over at Sasuke, nervousness hitting her like a wave. He stared balefully at the wall in front of him! Unmoving. She was yanked out of her thoughts by their new sensei opening the door, only to have an eraser fall on his head. Naruto started laughing hysterically. Ice could see the man's eye glance them over, measuring their potential. The wisdom in his eye made her uncomfortable. He was somewhat tall, with the normal green ninja vest and a black mask at covered most of his face, with the exception of one eye. His shoulders slumped and his eye hung half closed.  
"How do I put this? You look like... A bunch of idiots."  
Ice's tail bristled slightly in annoyance. _Idiots? Aren't all humans idiots? Well, Sasuke isn't. He called me an idiot too... Men, humans. Weird.  
_ Eventually they went outside and their teacher, named Kakashi, asked them to introduce themselves. Ice sat in a tree, scanning her surroundings every once and a while.  
Naruto gave some weird tribute to ramen, and Sakura's introduction was full of fangirlish squealing and yelling. _Meh, I don't really know why she acts like that? She has to be one of the weirdest. And scariest.  
_ "My name... Is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything... My dream is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan... And destroy a certain someone..."

Ice was taken off guard by this. The darkness in his voice… she shivered, feeling unnerved and uncomfortable. "Okay. Now, how about you?" Kakashi looked up at Ice, who looked away.  
"I'm... Ice. I like... Well... I guess I like wolves and caramel... I hate cats. ... I... Would rather not say anything else." Her voice was quiet and shy, and secretive. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but said no more. He was informed by the Hokage that Ice was a 'special case.' He remembered the situation many years back when a ragged child with wolf features entered the village with useful, sensitive info on the northern villages. Apparently she traded this info for something, but that was all they knew.  
"Good. You're all unique and have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow."

"What kind of mission, sensei?" Naruto asked excitedly.  
The way Kakashi chucked sent chills up Ice's spine. She growled softly and looked out into the sky, mindlessly playing with the ninja headband that she had tied around her neck.

Ice was at the training grounds before anyone else, just a little after midnight. She had slept after the team split up, and she was usually up at this time anyway.  
She stared up at the moon, the glowing thin scratch in the deep night sky, cold stars twinkling around it. Something stirred inside her chest-something deep and old- predatory. She shook it away with a yawn- revealing her unusually pronounced fangs- and sat back, tracing the constellations with her fingers.  
Being alone in nature calmed her nerves. She felt like she could control the pace of things here. She didn't feel trapped. She didn't have to sit still in a chair or be wary around countless people. She could sit back in the emerald green grass, breathing the fresh air. But, at the same time, she wished someone else was with her. Even here, she could feel a distinct, adamant, throbbing lonlieness in her chest. She breathed deeply- her tail wrapping itself around her ankles- and closed her eyes, listening to the soothing sound of the crickets song.

Sasuke came later, at dawn. The stars were fading, but some were still there. At the sound of his footsteps Ice tensed, but after sensing it was Sasuke she relaxed a little. She sat up and stretched her limbs, brushing off some grass that stuck to her shirt.

Sasuke stared at her before walking over to a rock and sitting on it with his arms crossed. He was surprised when the Ice started talking to him.  
"Do you like the constellations?"  
Sasuke looked over at her, his pale skin glowing in the dissipating darkness.  
"Why would I?"  
"... Because... They're so... Interesting... The different shapes they make... The stories behind them... Isn't it amazing?"  
"No. They're just stars. That's it." Ice sighed, looking away.  
"That's only if you make them out to be that way. You can make them into anything, everything. You only need to let yourself do it."

…

Naruto and Sakura arrived later as the last of the stars faded from the sky, both yawning. Naruto complained about being hungry, while Sakura commented something about diets being stupid.  
Ice cocked her head. _It's only been one night since they ate? They shouldn't sound THAT hungry... Huh. Humans...  
_ Sasuke glanced over at her, seeing her looking at Naruto and Sakura with her head tilted to one side. She seemed to be puzzled. Sasuke should rated and looked away. _Another pathetic one._

Sakura tightened her headband before walking over to Ice, who was currently playing with the grass. "So.." Sakura started, deciding to try to make friends with the other female member of the team, " did you get any sleep last night?"  
Ice looked up at her with wide eyes."I don't really sleep too much in general." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. _So that's why she was here so early...  
_ "Huh." Sakura answered, not sure how to reply. Ice flinched from the awkwardness her answer produced and decided to climb a tree for the time being.

Kakashi arrived a few hours later, stating that a "black cat crossed his path, so he had to take the long way." The other team members didn't buy it, while Ice sorta understood. She would either avoid a cat, or attack it. Cats were nasty creatures in her eyes. (I love cats, by the way! !)  
Kakashi set a clock and pulled two bells from his pocket.  
"It's set for noon. Your assignment is very simple- you just have to take these," he shook the bells for emphasis, "bells from me. That's all there is to it. If you can't get them by noon, then you lose your lunch. You will be tied to a post and forced to watch me eat my lunch in front of you."  
Everyone, even Sasuke, had a pouting face. Ice was upset and scared by the fact he was _jounin._ He was much more powerful then them, and she was scared someone would get hurt in the process of this exercise.

"Wait, if there are four of us, why are there only two bells?" Sakura asked, pointing at the tiny little orbs.  
"That way two of you get tied to a post and disqualified for not completing the mission. Those two get sent back to the academy. Or, you can all fail too."  
Ice growled, jumping down from the tree. She stayed by the tree, unnoticed by the others.  
"You can use any skills or tools you have at your disposal. Don't hold back-use everything you have. You can start when I say start."  
The silence was heavy and thick, pressing against Ice's senses. She tensed up, a fang poking from under her lip. Her body shook slightly.

Naruto ran at Kakashi with a kunia knife, the tension clearly too much for him. Ice used this time to jump away and find a place to hide and formulate a plan.

She followed Kakashi from the cover of the forest, watching as Naruto tried and failed. Judging by his failure to give any attention in her direction, he didn't notice her in the branches. She waited, thinking... Until Sasuke came into the picture.  
Ice growled as the Uchiha boy attacked his target furiously. He kicked and twisted midair, keeping Kakashi's hands busy as he tried to grab the bells from the jounin's waist. Kakashi quickly caught on, leaping back so Sasuke's hand only grazed the silver bells. With one last grumble, Ice leapt from the tree and twisted midair, trying to sweep Kakashi's legs from under him. Kakashi was surprised by her speed and the fact she seemed to come out of nothing. He barley dodged her leg.  
"Goog job. If you were a bit bigger, you would have gotten me."  
Ice rushed forward, making Kakashi doge to the side. What she wanted. She then moved beside Sasuke.  
"We need to work together. Do you think you can lure him in the direction of the lake?"  
Sasuke looked over, angry. He didn't need help, from _anyone._ But at the same time, he _needed_ to situation at hand forced him to make the premature decision not to kick her ass, though he put it on his mental to do list. He would never speak of this again. As he attacked Kakashi again, he was aware of Ice beside him, following his moves and supporting them.  
Kakashi was amazed by the pair he was fighting. Ice was copying Sasuke's every move when she needed to, and supported them at other times. It was like she knew what he would do, right when he could do it. This... Was the closest thing to teamwork yet, but it was one sided. Ice was the one working with Sasuke, Sasuke just about ignored her.

Ice could read what Sasuke was about to do by the way he would move before. Which muscles tensed up, what subtle movements he made. It was one benefit of having sharper senses. A frosty determination flowed through her veins. They fell into a pattern, Ice distracting the older ninja while Sasuke tried to do damage with this greater strength. Eventually, when Kakashi was close enough to the water, Ice dashed behind him.  
"Ice style, frost jutsu!" She said while preforming multiple hand signs before putting her hands on the ground. A thin frost spread from her fingers. But the water behind her froze over, a thick sheet of ice covering it.  
 _So that's where she gets her name. She doesn't have the chakra yet to freeze the ground, but she can freeze water. So that's why..._ Kakashi was impressed by her wits and style. He was actually starting to like his new group.  
Sasuke stood there, staring open mouthed. _What the...?  
_ Ice looked up, panting. She then looked over at Sasuke. _Come on... Please push him onto the ice...  
_ "Hmmm... Impressive, but you have to get me on th-"  
Suddenly, Sasuke understood. With a yell, he punched his teacher in the gut, sending him onto the frozen water. Ice nodded then started attacking him, often feinting and dashing around the more experienced ninja. She was able to move very good on the ice, but Kakashi wasn't having as much trouble as she though he would.  
"This ice would weaken a less experienced ninja. You're smarter then I bargained. I heard from the academy you had... Diffrent methods to solving problems. But you need to do better then that to get these."  
Ice stopped, sliding slightly. Her mind raced before something came up. She turned to Sasuke. "Hey! Melt the ice with your fire jutsu!"  
Sasuke blinked, a bit confused on how she could do that, but he shook it away and did so anyway. He made rapid hand signs, each movement burned into his memory.  
Kakashi was skeptical. "Impossible! Genin can't do fire justu, it takes up too much chakra! There's no way!"  
Sasuke spit out a large ball of fire, engulfing the area Kakashi stood in. The water hissed, vapor curling into the air. Ice scrambled to safety just in time, heart pounding.  
Kakashi used a substitution jutsu- putting a log in his place. _Damn it!_ She started cursing internally at herself before something silver caught her eye.  
Is that? A bell?  
One of the little orbs was lying in the grass, sunlight shining off it's silver surface. Both her and  
Sasuke approached it cautiously.  
"It's a trap..." Sasuke grunted, while Ice got closer.  
"Wait... I don't sense any trap around here... Or smell one..We can't know until we try."

"And what happened to Naruto?"  
Ice ignored him, instead picking the small bell up. It chimed softly, sending a calming wave through her.  
"He dropped it." She said quietly. Ice then turned and held it out to Sasuke.  
"Here."  
Sasuke glared at it, confused. "Why are you giving it to me?"  
Her green eyes stared deeply into his. It felt like she could read his soul and more, and he did not like it.  
"Because. I want you to have it. That way you are sure to pass. You have a greater purpose then I do, don't you?"  
Sasuke stared at the bell skeptically. _What does she know?l why... Would she... Sacrifice her chance to pass_...  
Sasuke slowly and cautiously reached for the bell, glaring into Ice's eyes, trying to find some sort of trick.

"I don't think so!"  
Kakashi seemed to come from no where and quickly snatched the bell out of Ice's hand, making her yelp. Her fear quickly turned to an irksome anger.

"Grrr... You... Ugly... Weasel!"  
Sasuke grumbled in frustration. _It was too good to be true...  
_ at the same time, he found some sort of twisted enjoyment out of seeing the normally meek Ice fuming with anger.

"Hey, take it easy. I said you need to get the bells from me. That was an... Error. Now actually get them!" Kakashi said, amused.

Lunchtime came by without anyone getting a bell. Naruto was actually tied to a post, kicking and protesting, while the other members sat on the ground, discouraged.  
"I have decided that none of you will be sent back to the academy."  
Ice looked up, caught off guard. _We... Passed? No... There's a catch. There has to be...  
_ "Yes! That means all four of us... All four of us! Yay!" Naruto said happily, while Sakura jumped up and down.  
"Yes. All four of you... Are being dropped from the program. Permanently!"  
Sakura and Naruto froze in shock. Ice gasped, shaking her head. _No... Not that! There has to be another way! I can't... Lose my only purpose... Sasuke can't... He has to pass too! And Naruto's dream... All over. Just like that?!  
_ "Drop us from the program?! That means we can never be ninja! You said if we didn't get any of the bells that we would he sent back to the academy! You can't just change your mind and kick us out! Why would you do that?l" Naruto yelled, struggling against the ropes that held him.  
"Because you don't think like ninja, you think like little kids. Like brats." Sasuke snapped, running at Kakashi with the intent to attack. _How dare he!  
_ One second he was ready to strike. The next Kakashi was on top of him, his hand held painfully behind his back and Kakashi's foot planted on his head. Sasuke struggled vainly, gritting his teeth.  
"Hey! You can't just step on Sasuke like he's some bug!" Sakura screamed. Ice got up, fear and adrenaline flowing through her veins. Her heart was like a rapid drumbeat, hammering against her chest.  
"You think it's all about you. You don't know what it means to be a ninja! You think it's a game, huh? Why do you think we put you on squads, did you ever consider that? You never realized what this exercise is all about!" Kakashi said harshly.  
"What it's about?" Naruto echoed.  
"Yes. That's what determines whether you pass or fail."  
"But that's... I wanted to ask you about that from the beginning." Sakura said.  
"Tch. Use your head. Three, or four, people on a squad. Why do you think we would do that?" _Strength in numbers?_ Ice guessed silently.  
Naruto snarled frustratedly. "How are we supposed to know! We don't make the rules!" "It's so basic! Teamwork! If all four of you had come at me at once, you would have had a chance of getting the bells!"  
"You set it up with four people and only two bells! If we worked together only two of us would have gotten the bells, and that would lead to team conflict and the squad would break apart and fight!" Sakura pointed out.  
 _If it were like a wolf pack, we would work together with no worry about reward. Wolves have a natural instinct for teamwork. I felt safer and more likely to succeed when fighting with Sasuke._ _But… I don't trust the other two… I don't think I could have worked with them…_ Ice felt angry at herself for not having that insinct for teamwork.

"Exactly. I purposely pitted you against each other. I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the squad ahead of yourselves. Genin should have a natural feel for teamwork. But it never even crossed your minds. Sakura! You obsessed about Sasuke, who was gone while Naruto was right in front of you and you didn't lift a finger to help. Naruto, you do everything on your own. Everything! Ice, you ran off on your own, leaving the rest of your teammates and didn't jump in until Sasuke came into the picture! And you, Sasuke, thought the others were so far beneath you that they were worthless. Except for Ice, who you used like a tool and didn't even bother to actually work with her, letting her do all the work in teamwork. Arrogance. Ninja missions are carried out in squads. When individuals put themselves above the squad, this can lead to failure and death. For example..."  
Kakashi reached into his pouch, pulling out a kunai. He placed the knife against Sasuke's neck. Sasuke had to force himself not to flinch as the cold metal pressed dangerously against his skin.  
"Sakura, kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!"  
Ice froze in fear, while Sakura looked back and forth between Sasuke and Naruto with panic in her eyes. Naruto kicked and squirmed frantically against the rope.  
"That's what happens on a mission. Your enemy takes a hostage and you have and impossible desicion. That leads to someone's death."  
Kakashi pulled the kunai knife away from Sasuke's neck. The Uchiha closed his eyes and went limp, taking a deep breath. The rest of the team also breathed sighs of relief. Kakashi stood up, letting go of Sasuke.  
Kakashi looked back at them, a minatory gleam in his eye.  
"Alright. I've decided to give you one last chance. But I'm going to make it much harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength. But. Naruto doesn't get any. And if anyone tries to feed him, they automatically fail. I make the rules. You follow them. Got it?"  
With that, Kakashi walked away.

Sasuke and Sakura dug in, eating their packed lunches in small, unsure bites. Ice felt her stomach grumble slightly from seeing her teammates eat.  
 _It's like a pack. Kakashi is the alpha- what he says goes. And Naruto is the omega. Still... I don't like seeing him like that... He looks like he's starving.  
_ Sasuke looked over at Naruto, frowning. It was his... Thoughtful frown, but no one could tell the difference, as Sasuke's mouth never curled up in a genuine smile. The closest he came to a smile was a cocky smirk.  
Sasuke eventually sighed and pushed his boxed lunch towards Naruto. "Here."  
Naruto stared dumfounded at the box. "No, you can't! If master Kakashi finds out he'll..." Sakura protested.  
"He's probably miles away by now. And we need all the strength we can get. If Naruto stays hungry, he'll just be a liability."  
Ice looked from the box to Naruto. _He's going against the rules... The alpha's word is law... But... Maybe he's right...  
_ Sasuke looked at Ice.  
"You too." He growled.  
Ice put her hands up.  
"No, it's fine! I don't need to eat."  
"Yes, you do. You're not going to be a liability either."  
"But I'm not..." Ice whined.  
Sakura looked down at her food before looking away and slamming it by Naruto.  
Naruto grinned happily.  
"You know, I'm tied to this post, so you're going to have to fe-"  
"You!"  
There was a crash, and a large cloud of smoke appeared in front of the rookies. Ice screamed and nearly fell over, her mind becoming a heap of fear.  
Kakashi came leaping from the cloud, read to strike. "...pass~❤️"  
Kakashi skidded to a stop in front of their faces, leaning over them. "Wh-what?"  
Ice was trembling too hard to ask any questions. _W-we... P-pass?_  
 **I feel a little better with this now that I rewritten it for the third time, plus put in a prologue. I just felt this doesn't really work as a first chapter. Hopefully, some of you got this far, and if you have, thank you!**

 **Remember, things change or become plot points, so try not to be to scathing in your reviews, but at the same time I like a little criticism! It helps, it just bugs me when I come back from a day of being bullied at school to a bunch of flaming reviews that point out a bunch of bad stuff, some of which isn't relevant anymore. Of course, at the same time, I do see a point in those reviews and I go back and look over stuff. And for the love of all that is good and pure, I know Ice's name isn't normal and I should change it. I'm not. I'm sorry. It wouldn't fit to me. I am human. I can't fix everything. Next time someone says "Ice's name doesn't fit, you should change it" I am going to light a chainsaw on fire and run around with my arms in a whole bunch of weird positions and toss my head back and scream the anticrist Jashin has awoken and proceed to use flaming chainsaw to draw a Jashinism symbol on the ground and pour a bunch of Hawaiian Punch in it. (You can say it if you want, it's a joke people. Now I kinda want someone to say it so I have an excuse to do that now XD)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Note: This chapter has been rewritten. Again. I'm sorry for the Naruto's being changed to Naruro's! It was a formatting thing, honest! I know that because some other things changed as well, like a few scentences being cut off. I didn't fix it until now, I hope you can forgive me! Anyways, if you made it from the first chapter, thank you so much! It's bad at first, but people have been telling me it gets better. I'm not so sure. It's up to you to decide! Please review, if you can!**

 **Old notes: I am looking back at this chapter and pulling my hair out. It sucks so bad! That's why I am rewriting it, lol. If you are new and reading this after I update, good for you! You don't get a load of crap! (It's still crap, but it's better crap. Okay, that got weird…)**

 **This is my worst chapter ever. I had it half rewritten, but never got to finishing it. So now I am!**

Sasuke didn't know why the wolf girl stuck to him like glue.

Every mission. Every second of the time the team was together, she was there.

She was quiet, and kept personal space. But it annoyed him. And creeped him out. Of course, the heir to the great Uchiha clan would never admit that it creeped him out.

Sasuke decided to ignore her. It was a fairly easy thing to do. Sakura and Naruto were hard to ignore, between Naruto's shouting and Sakura's attempts to gain his affection. Ice didn't get uncomfortably close to him, or scream bloody murder into his ear like a certain blonde maniac that he had a very strong urge to strangle. If he put his mind to it, it was like she didn't exist.

Sakura, however, thought of Ice in a completely different manner. Ice _WAS_ interested in "her" Sasuke. Ice was always around him somehow, always looking at him. It was in an odd way, like the way a dog looks up to its owner, but to Sakura it did not matter. Any sort of interest, romantic or not, meant COMPETITION! (Cha!)

Ice was startled by the change in Sakura's attitude. Sakura had seemed nice before. Now Sakura glared at her with rage whenever she even _glanced_ at Sasuke. Ice kept her distance from the kunoichi, especially when she was wielding farm equipment and no one was looking...

The teams missions were rather boring. Ice was happy to be doing something, to be important in any way, but something about the missions made her annoyed. The summer heat made her tired, and often she wanted to plop on the ground and sleep in the middle of a mission. The missions at least gave her money and time around Sasuke. She ate more often now that she was getting paid for the missions, and noticed her energy increase with her food intake.

The only time Ice really, _really_ wanted to disappear from off the face of the earth was when they had a mission to find a cat. Ice's mortal enemy. Kakashi had her sit out most of the mission anyway- most likely due to her finding the cat and chasing it into the woods with a killing intent.

The team returned with the cat in tow in a rather quick time. Fast enough to prompt the Hokage to give them another mission. And Naruto's begging got them a more challenging mission.

They had to guard a bridge builder, named Tazuna.

And it was hard to guard someone who you had a strong urge to attack.

The man who hired them for the mission reeked of alcohol. She had learned the hard way a long time ago that an alcohol stench meant trouble.

As usual, Naruto got into an argument with him the second they stepped out of the village. Kakashi broke it apart eventually, though kept his eye on the number one hyperactive nucklehead ninja to assure he caused no further trouble. If that was possible.

Ice trailed a safe distance behind the man, glaring at him every step of the way… Until a squirrel decided to run across the road.

Ice froze and locked her eyes onto the red ball of fur as it made its way, leisurely.

"Ice… Please don't. We have a mission, remember?" Kakashi said, a sweat drop running down his forehead. _Oh great Hokage…_

Tazuna's brow raised.

"Hey, are you a werewolf or other?"

Ice remained fixated on the squirrel.

"Hey! Fleabag! Furball! Whatever your name is!"

Naruto flinched. _Geez, and I thought he called me nasty names when he called me brat._

"Hey! Stop disrespecting us ninja!" Naruto demanded.

"Ninja? I said before, you're brats."

Kakashi sighed. _If I'm still sane by the end of this I'll stop reading make out paradise for a day… Maybe… not really._ "Ice, don't! Leave it alone."

Ice jumped, only to stop at Kakashi's demand. She stared forlornly at it as it ran into the undergrowth with a teasing flick of its tail.

"Please don't tell me you would eat that thing…" Sakura shivered.

"Why not? I like squirrel. Especially when I-"

"Enough!" Sakura yelled. "I didn't ask for any details!"

Sasuke looked up momentarily. "Hell, at least it's better than eating it raw."

"What's wrong with eating it raw? It's good. Not as good as raw rabbit though. Fresh kill is the best."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _I should have kept my mouth shut._

"Ugh, that's SICK! You're almost as bad as Naruto! How are you not dead from poisoning or something?!"

"Hey! I don't eat raw animals!" Naruto defended.

"You're sure that I'm not going to be eaten alive, right?" Tazuna asked, pointing at Ice.

Kakashi laughed nervously. "Yes. I'm sure. Don't worry."

Ice glowered at Tazuna. _Hrrrr… Like I would eat you. Though it could be a nice chance to see what people taste like…_

Ice's face grew frighteningly curious.

 _Why do I not like that look…_ Kakashi thought.

"Ice, we need our client not in your stomach, okay?" Kakashi never thought he would have to be discussing this with anyone. The world is a strange place sometimes, children. (X,D)

Ice stayed silent. Everyone was looking at her like she was pink dragon. _I don't get why everyone is looking at me like that… I guess maybe it was the raw animal part… Meh._

The team continued their walk, silent. Mostly because they were deeply disturbed. Even Naruto was quiet. (Hawly lawd it's a miracle! A miracle XD)

Ice noticed a puddle as they walked by. It confused her. She smelled no rain on the breeze, and it was completely dry. The last shower they had was a week ago. The dirt around the puddle was dry as bone. _Meh? That's odd… I don't smell anything else, either. Not a big deal though._

Kakashi gave the puddle a glance as well. They walked by without incident.

Ice heard a faint sound that sent her hairs on end. It sounded like the sound a full jug of water makes when one turns it upside down. Her ears rotated in search of the sound.

 _What?_

Something went past her eye to fast for her to catch. And in an instant, Kakashi was bound by pointed chains. Both sides of the chain were attached to a claw like mechanism worn by two ninja.

"One down." They both said in unison, their voices muffled by the masks they wore. Their eyes were cold as they gave the chain a single, merciless jerk.

 _No!_

Kakashi was torn apart by the chain, blood splattering across the ground. Ice stiffened, frozen in shock. It was so terrifying, it seemed unreal.

The ninja suddenly disappeared, and Ice could hear the sound of feet on dirt as they moved.

"Two down."

Ice turned towards the voices. Naruto's eyes widened as they appeared behind him, ready to kill.

"Naruto!" Ice screamed.

They put their claw weapons together and prepared to stab Naruto in one swift motion.

Sasuke jumped and hastily grabbed a shuriken from his holster, skillfully throwing it so it caught the chains that connected the two ninja's claw weapons together to a tree. He then threw a Kunai into the middle of the shuriken to hold it in place as he landed directly on the two ninja's arms.

The two enemy ninja had no time to form words as Sasuke delivered a hard kick to their faces. The chains connecting them to the claws snapped, and the two ninja separated, one circling on each side. One was lunging for Naruto, while the other went for Tazuna.

 _Tazuna!_

"Get back!" Sakura yelled, holding a Kunai in front of herself fearfully as she pushed the old man back. Sasuke moved in front of her, his gaze hard.

 _Have to do something!_

Ice moved, without thinking about the consequences or even drawing a weapon, and swiped the attacking ninja on the cheek with her nails. The ninja grunted and swung his claws towards her. Ice's natural instincts kicked in and she covered her face with her arm, freezing.

The blow never came. Ice removed her arms sheepishly. _That was stupid… Kakashi- sensei?_

Kakashi stood nearby, both of the ninja limp beside him.

"Kakashi!" Sakura said, relieved.

Ice looked over to where Kakashi used to be, only to see a pile of cut up logs. _Genjutsu?_

Ice breathed deeply. _Thank the great corefhen* I'm not dead. That was close…_

(Corefhen- wolf speech. Means ancient spirits. More in depth in ch.12!)

"Naruto, sorry for not helping you right away. I got you injured. I thought you would be able to move. Anyways, nice job, Sasuke." Kakashi apologized.

 _Injured?_ Ice noticed a faint scent of blood. She saw it dripping from his hand.

Naruto looked over at Sasuke with a painful humiliation in his eyes. Sasuke was standing there as if nothing ever happened.

Ice blinked sympathetically. _Poor Naruto… He was too scared to move… I was scared too… I didn't think that through. I think I'm a little too confident… At least… I kept Sasuke from getting hurt, right?_

Sasuke flashed Naruto a cocky smirk. "You aren't hurt, are ya? Scaredy cat."

Naruto flinched, the words hitting harder than any fist. He stood up quickly, only to get stopped by Kakashi, who explained the ninja's claws were soaked in poison and he needed treatment.

 _Sasuke…_ Ice stared at him distantly. _Why would you say that? You had to be scared too, right? Just because you didn't show it… Fear is natural. The only thing that set you apart from Naruto is that you acted on that fear and hid it…_

"Tazuna? I need to talk to you."

Kakashi tied the ninja to a nearby tree, Ignoring the deadly glares they threw him.

"These guys are chuunin from the village hidden in the mist. They are know to keep fighting, no matter what."

"How did you read our movements?" One of them asked bitterly.

"On a sunny day like this, when it hasn't rained in days, there should not be a puddle."

Tazuna looked at Kakashi nervously. "Why did you let the brats fight, if you knew that?"

"If I wanted to, I could have killed these two instantly, but I needed to see who their target was. Meaning, were they after you, or one of us. We haven't heard there were Shinobi after you. We were only assigned to protect you from gangs and thieves. This is now at least a B-rank mission. If it was know ninja were after you, this would be a more expensive B-rank mission. I'm sure you have your reasons, but lying about missions causes problems. We are now acting outside of our duties."

Tazuna looked down. Ice's ears pricked with interest.

 _He looks so… There's something…_

"This mission is too much for us! We will also need medicine for Naruto. We should go back to the village." Sakura said.

Ice glanced at the ground. _She's right but… I don't feel like that's what we should do. But there's nothing I can do. It's not in my power…_

"It might be too much. We should return to the village to treat Naruto." Kakashi answered thoughtfully.

Naruto was shaking with anger. But no one expected him to raise a Kunai and burry it in his own hand.

Ice jumped, startled. _Naruto! Why are you?!_

"With this Kunai… I swear… I'll protect the old man. We're continuing the mission!"

Naruto's voice was firm and strong, and his eyes full of determined fire. His body trembled slightly and blood dropped from the new wound.

 _Naruto… You really are something._ Ice smiled slightly.

"Naruto, it's good you're releasing the poison, but… any more, and you'll die of blood loss ❤." Kakashi said teasingly.

Naruto froze, his blue eyes losing their determined fire. Then he exploded. (Not literally XD)

"No! That's bad! Bad bad bad! I can't die from something like this! Sensei, do something! Save meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Kakashi sighed. "Let me see your hand."

"Naruto, are you masochist? What were you thinking?" Sakura asked loudly.

 _He was so cool just a second ago…_ Ice tilted her head. _Meh. Weird…_

…

The group of six were now in the land of waves. After deciding on continuing the mission, they rode a boat to the island. The trees grew skinny and curvy, with dark green leaves. Ice enjoyed the change in air. _There's less population here… Less smell of civilization. I like it._

"There!" Naruto suddenly yelled, tossing a shuriken into a bush. The sound of branches breaking echoed through the air.

"Heh… Just a rat…"

"Stop acting cool! There was nothing there!" Sakura scolded.

"Hey, please stop playing with shuriken. It's dangerous…" Kakashi asked.

Tazuna growled with annoyance."Hey midget! Stop acting like a moron!"

Naruto ignored Tazuna and started looking around again, determined to find something. Ice growled softly. _Ugh, he's going to scare away every bit of prey for miles around and attract the fiercest predators. He is weird all right… mmmmm… Rabbit… Wait, where!_

Naruto suddenly threw another shuriken into the bushes. "There!"

"I said stop it!" Sakura hit Naruto hard on the head.

"Owwwww… somebody is after us, I swear!"

"Yeah right."

Kakashi went over to the bushes where Naruto threw the shuriken, followed by an excited Ice.

Going past the bushes revealed a snow white rabbit, twitching in fear. Naruto's shuriken had nearly hit in in the head, the shiny metal star now buried in a tree.

"Rabbit!" Ice tried to grab it, only to be held back by the headband around her neck.

"No. I would like to keep my lunch." Sasuke growled, holding her back while glaring daggers.

"But I _want_ lunch!" Ice whined.

"Oh well. You should have eaten, then. That is not food. That is a rabbit."

"Rabbits are food!"

"Not that rabbit."

"But what's the difference."

"Naruto! Look what you've done! You scared the thing senseless!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto picked the rabbit up, petting it and holding it to his chest.

"Poor little rabbit. I'm sorry… Ice, why are you drooling… No!"

Naruto turned away from her, holding the rabbit protectively. Ice tugged against Sasuke's grip.

"Why can't you pick up the next rabbit! I want this one!"

"What are you going to do with it?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

"Eat it! What else do you do with rabbits!"

"No. You are not eating a live rabbit."

"Please let go…" Ice begged, looking over at Sasuke with wide green eyes.

"No. Don't give me puppy eyes. They won't work." Sasuke replied coldly.

Ice sighed and relaxed, looking down. Just as Sasuke loosened his grip, Ice tugged as hard as she could. Her headband untied and she flew forward, slamming into Naruto.

"Uwwah! Get off…. Great! Stop scratching me… I'm protecting you! Owowowowo!" The rabbit kicked and bit at Naruto, while Ice tried to grab it

Kakashi ignored his students fighting, deep in thought.

 _A snow rabbit… With a white coat? It's not winter… its coat changes in response to the amount of sunlight. White is the winter color. This is a rabbit that's been kept in a cage for the purpose of body switching…_

Sasuke had managed to pry Ice off of Naruto and was currently sitting on her back to prevent her from getting away. Ice had stopped moving and stared at the rabbit with tears in her eyes.

"Naruto… Please! I'll just eat one leg or something… Then you can keep it and call it Joe the rabbit with the missing leg or something… Or I can eat its hind legs and you can replace them with wheels and call it scooter the rabbit… Just please let me have some! Rabbit is my favorite!"

Even Sasuke was shocked by this.

"That's just… Wrong! How heartless can you be! Think of the rabbit!" Sakura yelled, shivering.

"The poor thing! Though the last idea was kinda cool… Scooter the rabbit… Hehe…" Naruto started snickering.

"You are going to learn how to not eat every wild animal that crosses your path."

"But its prey! It's not like I kill them for fun, like normal humans!" Ice spat.

"Guys…"

"You just want to eat it because you like rabbit!"

"I'm hungry! I haven't eaten yet today…"

"That's your fault!" Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke said in unison.

Ice let out a very dog like whine and lowered her head.

"Sasuke… Can you please get off me? You're starting to hurt me…"

"Answer the question correctly and you can go. Is that rabbit food?"

"Of course it is! It's meat! Just like-OW"

Sasuke hit Ice on the head.

"Wrong. I will ask again. Is that rabbit food?"

"…."

"Maybe you shouldn't hit her?" Kakashi suggested. _Ice seemed so calm and timid until this… I guess this is a trigger. Having her near animals is a no-no._

"Get the question right and you can go."

"But what do you want me to say! Rabbits are food!"

"Wrong."

Sasuke hit Ice on the head again.

"That hurts…"

"I'm hardly hitting you. I'll ask again. Is THAT damn rabbit food? The one Naruto has?"

"….no..."

"Are you sure?"

Ice was about to say no, but Sasuke raised his arm and she decided against it.

"Yes! It's not food!"

Sasuke stared at her long and hard before slowly getting up.

Ice shot up and grabbed her headband before hiding behind Kakashi.

"That was a little uncalled for…"

"She was trying to eat the rabbit alive!" Sakura complained.

Sasuke huffed and shoved his hands in his pockets. _Well, how else would she have learned? Telling her no is not going to work. Damn, how did I get myself into this…_

Kakashi's gaze hardened as it shifted to something in the trees.

"…. Huh? Everyone, down!"

"Wh-"

Naruto was cut off by many large, deadly shuriken thrown from the trees. Ice screamed and dropped the the ground, covering her head. _What the hell?!_

When she looked up, she saw a tall, well muscled man standing on a very large blade that was buried in a tree. Bandages covered his mouth in a similar fashion to Kakashi's mask.

"Well, if it isn't the hidden mists missing-nin Momochi Zabuza." Kakashi said flatly.

Naruto was about to dash and attack this new ninja but Kakashi held his arm out, blocking him.

"Stay back. This is far to much for you guys."

Ice looked at Kakashi, then at Zabuza.

 _It's only one guy… Is he really that strong?_

"It will be a little tough…" Kakashi grabbed his headband, preparing to lift it.

"Heh. You appear to be Sharingan Kakashi. Sorry, but the old man is mine."

"Do not enter the fight. Surround and protect Tazuna. Zabuza… Fight me first!" Kakashi lifted his headband up, revealing his covered eye. It was blood red, with three black swirls dancing around a black pupil.

Ice's ears stood erect. _Is that…_

"Sharingan… Only the Uchiha have those… How does he?" Ice whispered.

Ice flinched as she said that out loud. Sasuke was glaring at her so hard she thought she might burst into flame. (Ameteratsu much?)

 _How does she? Well, she's being questioned later…_

"Kakashi, it seems I'll need to defeat you first! So be it…"

Zabuza leapt from the tree-while grabbing his blade- and landed on the water nearby. Somehow he did not sink, and instead stood on the waters surface as if it was ground.

"Over there!" Naruto shouted, pointing.

"Hidden mist Justsu…"

A thick fog seemed to appear from nowhere, continuing to grow thicker until Zabuza- and the most of the landscape- was swallowed in it.

"You guys be careful!" Kakashi warned.

"The mist is getting thicker!" Naruto said nervously.

" _Eight choices._ "

It was Zabuzas voice, but it seemed to come from everywhere. Ice shivered under the tension. _It will… Be okay… I'll be fine._

"Liver, lungs, spine, clevical vein, neck vein, brain, kidneys, heart. Which one should I go after?"

Sasuke had begun to shake.

 _It feels like I'll be killed if I even twitch… Any movement can draw his attention to me… It feels like my own life is being choked off… Any breath could be my last… It's suffocating! I can't take it… I'd almost rather die now and get it over with…_

Sasuke's grip tightened around his Kunai. Then he felt something cold against him.

He went deathly still, his eyes slowly looked over. It was Ice.

She was silent, staring straight ahead with icy determination in her eyes. Yet he could still see fear shining in the green pools. Her lip was lifted ever so slightly, revealing her sharp teeth.

 _Ice?_

"Sasuke, don't worry. I'll protect you guys even if it kills me. I won't let my comrades die!"

"We'll see about that…" Zabuza said darkly.

Just as Zabuza appeared behind the four Genin, Kakashi dashed, burying a Kunai in his torso. Only, what leaked out was not blood, but water.

Ice turned, shaking. _Wh… What was that?_

"Sensei! Behind you!"

Another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi as the Zabuza he stabbed turned into water.

Zabuza swung his sword, cutting Kakashi clean in two. But 'Kakashi' turned out to be made of water as well.

"Don't move!"

Kakashi reappeared behind Zabuza and placed a Kunai at his neck.

"Hah, impressive. You had your clone say those words to distract me from the real you. But, I, not that easy."

Yet another Zabuza was behind Kakashi. The one Kakashi had a blade to turned into water as the real Zabuza swung his blade. Kakashi dropped to the ground to avoid it, but was then kicked hard into the water. Zabuza moved forward, ready to strike again, only to notice tiny needles on the ground.

 _Makibishi!_

"Sensei!"

Kakashi sat up, looking at the water. _Why is this water so heavy?_

Zabuza leapt so that he was behind Kakashi.

"Foolish. Water prison Jutsu!"

The water rose in a ball around Kakashi, trapping him.

"What! Damn…"

"You tried to escape to the water. Big mistake. Heh, now I have you in an inescapable prison. We can finish things later. First, I'll take care of them!"

Zabuza raised his hand, creating another water clone.

The clone disappeared, and reappeared on front of Naruto, punching him hard and sending him flying.

"Naruto!" Sakura called his name out in fear.

The clone Zabuza stepped on Naruto's headband, which had fallen off.

"Take Tazuna and run! I can't move while I'm in here. His clone can't go far from his real body! You can't beat him, so just run away now!" Kakashi ordered.

Naruto looked up, trembling. Ice's gaze shifted from Tazuna to Kakashi. _What… If we don't go, Tazuna's in danger, but if we do go, we'll be abandoning our teacher! What… Are we supposed to do…_

Naruto stood up, his fear being replaced with the same determination from before. He ran headlong at Zabuza.

"Naruto, stop!" Ice shouted.

Sakura grabbed her ears. "Naruto! What are you thinking?!"

The Zabuza clone scoffed and sent Naruto flying again.

"What are you doing, attacking him all by yourself!? We Genin have no chance against him!"

Naruto coughed and began to get up again. He had retrieved his headband.

 _That's… What he wanted… The headband… Why?_

"Hey, you eyebrow less freak… Put this in your book. The man who will one day become Hokage… Leaf ninja, Naruto Uzamaki!" Naruto tied his headband back onto his head, blood dripping from his mouth.

"Sasuke, listen."

"What is it?"

"I have a plan."

"Pfft. Now you have a plan. And team work from you?"

"Now… Let's get wild!" Naruto said with a mischievous smirk.

Kakashi started struggling. "What are you doing! Run away! This fight was over the moment I was caught! Our duty is to protect Tazuna! Did you forget that?!"

"Old man?" Naruto asked, turning to face Tazuna.

"I…I planted this seed myself. I'm not going to say I desire to live to much that I'd stop you. Forget about me, fight as much as you need to to save your Sensei!"

"You hear that?" Sasuke asked.

" 'ya ready?"

Ice tensed up. _Alright… If it's all of us, we should be okay, right?_

Zabuza began laughing. "Going to keep playing ninja? When I was your age, these hands were already dyed red with blood!"

"Devil Zabuza… long ago in the hidden mist village, there was a final obstacle to becoming a ninja. "

"Hm, you know about that graduation exam?" Zabuza said with a chuckle.

"What graduation exam?" Naruto asked.

"Fights to the death between the students." Zabuza answered.

"Friends who had eaten at the same table are pitted against each other until one of them loses his life. Friends who had helped each other and shared dreams."

"That's awful…"

"Ten years ago the exam was forced to change. The year prior, a demon appeared. Without pause, or hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja appeared and killed over a hundred other students."

"I remember that… It felt so… Good!"

The Zabuza clone suddenly moved, knocking Sasuke to the ground and slamming his elbow into the the young ninja's chest. Sasuke spat out blood as Zabuza stepped on his chest, pressing down hard.

"Die…"

"Get off of Sasuke!"

Ice bolted forward and leapt high, swiping at Zabuza. Zabuza vanished in a swirl of mist. Ice followed the sound of his feet, turning and attacking him again. She attempted to hit him in the face, only to get punched in the gut. She fell over, gasping and feeling blood run down her chin.

"Pathetic. You want to die first? So be it."

As Zabuza readied his blade, Ice kicked out, sweeping his feet from beneath him. Zabuza grunted and quickly righted himself, swinging his large sword. Ice barley avoided it, still off balance.

 _Where is he?_

"Just give up."

Zabuza grabbed her head and smashed his knee against it before she could react.

A sharp, deep pain resonated through her skull as her vision flashed. Ice fell to the ground, losing consciousness. She heard someone yell her name, but she was too fuzzy and disoriented to be able to tell who it was. She gave in and let herself be taken in by a world of black.

…

The next thing Ice knew she was on something soft and warm. She couldn't remember the last time she slept on something as comfortable as this. However, her head ached. It wasn't the worst pain she has ever felt, however. She snuggled deeper into the warmth before noticing there was something else warmer against her. More specifically, a person.

Ice shot up, also startling Sasuke, who has forgotten she was behind him. She regretted it immediately as the throb in her head intensified.

"Good! I'm going to-wait. Ice, you're up!" Naruto said happily. Sasuke looked at her with a carefully guarded expression.

Ice began looking around frantically. Where was she? What had happened to Zabuza? She backed away, frightened and confused.

"What happened? Wh-where are we?"

"Just the bridge builders house." Sasuke answered flatly.

"Tazuna?" Ice looked and located the old man. She backed away a little more.

"You're a cautious one, aren't ya? Don't worry, I ain't gonna hurt you. Especially after you helped keep my from dying."

Ice held his gaze for a moment longer before looking over at Sasuke. She felt a sudden wave of guilt. Her ears flattened against her head and her shoulders slumped. _I'm… Too weak… Not… I failed…_

"Ice? Why so gloomy?" Naruto asked.

Ice didn't answer him. She pulled her knees to her chest, curled her tail around herself, and blocked out the rest of the conversation.

…

(The document started getting funky after this point. Sorry if it does not display properly!)

The next day, they started training. And to train, they had to climb trees.

"Come on. You guys give it a try. Oh, and Ice, no using your claw nails like you usually do. Only your chakra."

Ice looked down at her sandals and at her 'claw nails'. They were always sharp and neat, and pretty handy for climbing stuff. _Whatever. I can climb good already!_ _And I can control my chakra decently already!_

The problem was she didn't have much of it, at least that she could tap into.

She closed her eyes and focused the energy to her feet, trying to ignore her still throbbing head. It was going to be like that for a few days, and she refused to take some sort of drug from Tazuna or his daughter.

The four teenagers ran at once, their eyes determined. Ice was the fastest- reaching her tree first- and ran up as far as she could. She almost reached the first branch when she felt her chakra slipping and had to jump off.

Sakura had reached her first branch, and Naruto hardly made any progress at all. Ice was higher that Sasuke, but just by a margin.

Well, now we know which one of you has the best control of her chakras. Sakura, our young lady." Kakashi commented.

"Yeah! Incredible! You go Sakura! That's my girl!" Naruto shouted, with a slight note of envy in his voice.

Sakura's head slumped when she saw Sasuke just looked ticked off. She wanted to impress him, but...

"Well! Understanding the use of one's chakras and manipulating them successfully... Is quite an achievement so far. Sakura I probably the closest one to overtaking our leader, lord Hokage... Despite all of Naruto's boasts and aspirations... And the finest hope of the Uchiha doesn't seem too impressive, either. And let's not forget Ice- wolves aren't as strong as they look, are they?"

Ice growled. Not only did the fool insult wolves, but he insulted Sasuke as well. She could tell it hurt him by the way he looked away. He did NOT insult the Uchiha!

She hardly heard Sakura yelling as she ran up the tree again, slashing the bark in a rather violent manner. Although she viewed Kakashi as the alpha in the squad, it still pissed her off immensely that he insulted the Uchiha.

*flashback*

 _I'm so hungry... I want food! I want mom..._

 _The wolf pup whined, huddled under a bench. Her mother had left three days ago, after her brothers and sisters had went to sleep and never woke up. Her mom had left her here and told her to wait while she went to get some food._

 _She never came back._

 _The loneliness and helplessness was disorienting. She didn't want to fall asleep and not wake up like her sibling did! And it hurt... The hunger and the loneliness. Why would her mother leave her like this?_

 _Then she heard footsteps. She stopped, wondering if her mother was back. But these steps didn't have the sound her mothers did._

 _She yelped as the face of a human peered under the bench. She flattened herself against the leg of the structure, shaking with fear. The human boy stared back with big, black eyes._

 _He pulled his face back, and a few moments later held something out to her. She flinched once again and cowered, until she smelt the aroma. Was it food? She went up to it, sniffing it cautiously. The humans hand didn't move, just held out the weird morsel._

 _She took a test bite and- after confirming it was meant for her- started eating it like it was her last meal. The boy laughed, giggling at the feeling of the puppy's cold nose against his palm._

 _When she was done, she stuck her face out from under the bench. The human boy smiled back. Then he got up and started walking away._

 _At first the pup trembled, but then she got up and started trotting after the boy. He turned around, surprised._

 _"Wow! You're really following me? You're so cute!"_

 _He bent down and put his hand behind the little pups ear. She complied, the contact erasing the longing for her mother._

 _"My names Sasuke! Sasuke Uchiha! Wow, I bet my brother will think you're cute!" And with that, she followed the boy home knowing that she wasn't alone anymore._

 **Yes, I cut off some of the fight with Zabuza. I know that is bad. That is part of the reason I rewrote this chapter. To fix the fact I cut most of the fights. But I have been getting migraines. Bad. Migraines. And I hate them.**

 **Onto other topics! Sasuke's sitting moment might have been a little OOC, but who cares. It was meant for comedy purposes anyway XD and the whole Ice eating raw animals was very fun. I think I might play with that in the future. As in, using it to fuel a one shot or something of the like.**

 **Yes, in the flashback Ice is a puppy. Read on to find out more! Of course, if you really want to know just shoot me a PM (and be aware it spoils some of the story.)**

 **Kiyo: Hey, Yo, it's Kiyo in the house! I come up in a later chapter! Review if you have time! I get paid for this, mwahahaha.**

 **Sasuke:I thought I killed your ass.**

 **Kiyo:… You can't kill me… It is not destined. At least, that's what Neji said.**

 **Sasuke: I don't give a damn what he says. You can go tell him he looks like a cucumber.**

 **Kiyo: a… Cucumber… Okay…. Buddy, if you need me to take you to a mental hospital, just ask.**

 **Sasuke: I'm not mental! You are! Now time to go draw a picture of Itachi and smash tomatoes against it till I'm satisfied.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Another chapter, yay. I suck at action scenes. And writing in general. It's just fun. Hopefully, I improve!**

* * *

Night darkened the forest, only cut by the silver gleam of a full moon.

Two silhouettes raced up trees. They would get high- more than halfway- before slicing the bark and jumping back.

Ice's green eyes glowed in the dark, her gaze hard and stubborn. Her feet hurt, and so did her chest and head. Sweat ran down her face.

Sasuke was in the same condition. When Ice had moved away from Naruto to practice on her own, he followed. The blonde haired teen wouldn't _shut up!_ That, and the fact he would rather train with Ice then with Naruto. Anyone who valued their sanity would.

They both ran up their respective trees at the same time, Ice edging ahead slightly due to her speed advantage. This time, they both reached branches, though Sasuke's a bit higher than Ice's. Seeing Sasuke sit down and put his back against the tree trunk, Ice stopped.

She stayed still for awhile, the only sound in the air being the crickets chirping and the peaceful rustling of the trees. A cool breeze ruffled her messy gray hair, giving her a pleasant relief.

She eventually crawled along her branch and jumped onto Sasuke's tree, climbing up to his branch. He eyed her as she sat down halfway across the tree limb, but said nothing.

Ice looked up, her gaze transfixed on the night sky- the velvety black and the cold stars shimmering like shards of fire.

"... Look. You can see the great wolf from here."

"Huh?" Sasuke asked, opening his eyes. What great wolf?

Ice was pointing at the sky.

"See that bright one, or the north star? That's it's eye. If you follow... Around the head... All the way to the tail, you can see the great wolf."

"I told you I don't care about constellations. All I see is a bunch of stars. "

Ice looked at him, her eyes glowing.

"That's all your letting your mind see. Think. Think of a wolf running through the sky. Then apply the stars to it's shape."

 _Why is she even bothering?_ Sasuke thought bitterly, but as he glared at the sky, something _did_ come to mind.

All of the sudden, he could see a wolf running through the sky, it's head held proud and protectively and it's mouth open in a howl. He blinked, but it was still there.

"And over there, that's the red dragon. They call it the red dragon because it's tail tip is that red star there. And that's the beast lion, the cluster over there. And there..."

She went on and on, pointing all across the sky. Sasuke tried to ignore her, but it was near _impossible_! He saw dragons and lions, wolves and hawks and griffins, and everything else she pointed out. Soon, the night sky was full of different creatures, the stars shaping them in a graceful way, capturing each and every beast with the admiration and honor they had in living.

"You see the great wolf and the great hawk? Well, the story behind them is that there was once a hawk of fire and a wolf of snow and ice."

Sasuke looked over- he enjoyed hawks. The story seemed stupid and pointless, but he found himself listening anyways.

"The hawk would fly around the sky, filling it with fire and glory. The hawk was proud about his name, the name of a great legend. The wolf followed him on foot, admiring him. Wherever her paws went the earth was cast in a soft winter. The hawk ignored the wolf, believing that since she was on the ground she was inferior. He continued his flight, till one day, a great loss sent him plummeting into the darkest reaches of the earth."

"The wolf was so in love with the hawk that she jumped into the crevice with him, intending on rescuing him. In the bottom, she was met by a giant snake."

"The snake was a great beast as well, but was full of evil. He was cast down into the dark place long ago, to keep the earth safe. He had waited for the day when he could get revenge. And now he would do it by taking the light from the sky and the winter from the earth. The hawk realized his folly and apologized to the wolf. The wolf forgave him. The hawk, looking into the wolves eyes, say something he had never seen before, and fell deeply in love. As the snake came closer, the wolf howled and the hawk shrieked their confessions to each other, believing that to be their last breath."

"Their spirits combined, turning their breath to raging fire and the coldest ice. They killed the snake, and they both leapt to the sky. Their bodies shattered, creating the stars. It's said that they guard the earth under their gaze, even to this day."

Ice stopped, snickering slightly.

"It's a bit corney, but it's still intriguing. Each constellation has it's own little story. Wow, I'm surprised your not asleep, after all of my rambling. "

Sasuke blinked and made a fake yawn, but deep inside he actually enjoyed it. It was stupid, but she was right about the intriguing part.

"Oh, and I have a few questions for you." Sasuke said, the thought coming to his head. He almost forgot.

"Hmm?"

"How much do you know about the Sharnigan and the Uchiha?"

Ice looked away, her tail twitching.

"I... Only know that the Uchiha have special eyes called Sharnigan. That's all."

Sasuke was suspicious of her answer, but it seemed good enough. He would eventually find out if she was lying or not.

"And," he added, his voice getting quieter, "why are you so into me? and don't give me any fangirl bullcrap."

Ice still looked away. Sasuke noticed she was chewing her lip.

"..."

Sasuke glared at her, now fully suspicious.

"Your always looking at me and looking for something. And back at the fight with Zabuza... Remember what you said? What about the thing with the bells? What do you want with me?!" He asked, almost yelling.

Ice flinched, moving away.

"I wanted... "

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, expecting an answer.

"...for your approval..."

"What?" He narrowed his eyes. Maybe she was just a fangirl after all. But there was something... She was hiding. He was sure of it.

Ice got up.

"... I'm going, if that's okay...?"

Sasuke growled, but just looked away. Why was she asking him?

He was slightly aware of her feet hitting the ground. That was the last sound from her that the Uchiha heard. He felt emptiness right away. Why did he just chase off the only person who would sit there and talk to him about the stars, regardless of whether he was listening or not?

* * *

 **I'm making this one short. Idk why. I think it has more of an impact if it's just alone. I came up with the wolf hawk thing because I'm big on symbolism. If you read my other stuff, look out for it. You know how Sasuke has a thing with hawks, and even named his team after them in Shippuden? Well, think a bit. Then the wolf... Should be obvious. Yeah, cliché, but I can't help it!**

 **I may make a poem or song out of the little 'hawk wolf' legend thing. For something I pulled out of my behind randomly, I think it's kinda cool! I may even draw something like that as the cover for this!**


	5. Chapter 4

**(I have fixed a few mistakes in this chapter. The spell check is very unstable on the tablet, and I am not good at proofreading XD. I will fix mistakes in spelling or grammar as they Come to light!)**

 **Sorry about the short last chapter. and for the suckiness in general. I'll be surprised if anyone made it this far.**

* * *

"We made it to the top of the tree... Both of us..." Naruto panted, leaning on Sasuke. Sasuke just looked at him in his usual annoyed manner.

"Good. Starting tomorrow, you two can help Sakura and Ice guard Tazuna."Kakashi praised.

Ice had reached the top of the tree a day ago. She was now sitting in the corner of the room, looking down. She didn't want to join the dinner. She wasn't even hungry.

Sasuke glanced at her, feeling anger and... Guilt? Why? Yeah, she was innocent, but he still didn't care... Did he?

He noticed an increasing tie between him and the rest of team 7. Even to Naruto. He wasn't aware of them until he actually though. Maybe Kakashi was right- maybe teamwork was the best way. Maybe he _could_ grow close to them...

He sat down, exhausted. He hadn't trained that vigorously before. The Uchiha felt a warm triumph glow inside. He finally climbed that goddamn tree!

"Whew! Well, I'm dirty, sweaty, and real worn out, from all the work on the bridge today... But construction is almost complete!" Tazuna said with a warm smile.

His daughter, Tsunami, walked in, carrying a tea kettle.

"Father, you and Naruto are one of a kind. Please don't work yourselves to death!" She scolded teasingly.

Inari, Tazuna's grandson, glared at Naruto, who was slumped over on the table drooling.

"Why... Why..."

Naruto looked up at the sound of the little boys voice. "What's wrong?"

"Why do you wear yourself out trying? No matter how hard you train, you'll never be a match for Gatô's thugs! You act all cool, and you talk all tough... But big, strong guys are always too much for people weaker than they are. They'll destroy you!" Inari yelled, tears streaming from his eyes. Ice looked up, saddened. _A boy so young who's lost his will to fight..._

"Shut up! I'm not you, and I'm not gonna lose!" Naruto snarled, looking up.

Inari slammed his hands on the table.

"Just watching you ticks me off! You go running your mouth when you don't know a thing! This isn't your town! And you don't know a thing about me. Your always clowning around and having fun. You don't know a thing about suffering or loneliness or what my life is like!"

Naruto shifted, lifting his head off the table, shaking with anger.

"So... You figure it's noble to star in a melodrama and treat everyone around you like guests at your pity party? It takes a really big man to sit around and cry... You brat!" Naruto glared at the little boy, his face curled up in anger. Ice could see... In his angry blue eyes... A sadness... An understanding... She felt Naruto went a little too far, but he had a right to. Inari was the one who didn't know anything, besides his own personal experience. Inari began sobbing, at a loss for words.

"Naruto! You went too far! He's only a kid!" Sakura yelled. Naruto just turned around with a "hmmf."

...

Inari sat on the edge of a dock, the sea splashing around the stakes that held the dock in place. He hugged his knees, staring out into the blue waters.

"...hey... Is it okay if I sit by you?"

Inari glanced around to see the wolf girl- Ice- standing behind him. He just turned his head around numbly. He could see her sitting down in his peripheral vision.

"... Naruto wasn't trying to be mean... You just struck a nerve. You reminded Naruto of himself." She said softly.

"Huh?" Inari asked, looking at her.

"Naruto grew up without any parents... He was alone. But he never gave in. He used it as fuel to reach his dreams, to change things around. He's always looking for praise, for a pat on the back, to make up for the time he lost."

Ice looked up at the sky, at the crescent moon and the stars that blinked back at her.

"Actually, Naruto, Sasuke... And maybe if you want to add myself... All know the pain of being alone." She looked down at the water, her gaze dark.

"I... I grew up without my mom too... Just one day... She got up and left me there. I don't know why she abandoned me, probably never will. Then I found Sasuke. But then poor Sasuke had to watch as his clan was murdered in front of him by his brother. My point is... The feelings of loneliness...is what makes us all human, right? What makes us have to look out for each other. I never thought I would consider myself human, but... I see that being human isn't as simple as I thought it was. We are all connected... We all feel alone at one time, right? Naruto is just upset... Because you hit a wound that will never heal."

Inari looked up at Ice, tears stinging his eyes. And they just sat there, looking out into the ocean.

...

 _Sasuke was on the ground, crying. Itachi stood a few feet away, glaring at him. He muttered some words in human tongue, though she could clearly hear the malice in them._

 _She snarled, fear bristling in her. She didn't want to die... But... She didn't want her friend, her MASTER, to die! He showed her kindness she never known before, saved her life._

 _With all the ferocity of a thousand grown wolves she launched herself at Itachi, a person she once respected. Itachi made a growling sound and took out one of those sharp sticks, 'kunai'. She wasn't able to pull away as he sent the object through her little chest. Blood flowed out of her mouth and nose, choking her as pain wrapped it's cruel jaws around her tiny body._

 _She could hear Sasuke crying as the darkness came to take her. But before she lost everything, she could see a deep regret in Itachi's eyes._

Ice woke up, gasping and clutching her chest. There was a hand on her shoulder... And a pair of surprised black eyes staring back at her.

"Kakashi said it's time to wake up." Sasuke blinked, looking into her eyes. He never saw her so scared. And never had he seen her sleeping so heavily.

She rubbed her face, a tremble going through her body.

"Okay."

"... Is there a reason you were saying 'master' in your sleep?"

Ice cringed.

"It... Was a dream..."

Sasuke glared at her longer before getting up and walking out of the room.

"Hurry up."

Ice wanted to cry as he closed the door behind him... Why did he hate her? Nothing could compare-not even death- to the pain of being rejected by him.

...

"Well, please take good care of Naruto!"

Kakashi stood outside, along with Sakura, Sasuke, Ice, Tsunami and Tazuna.

"He's worn himself out. I doubt he'll be able to move for the rest of the day." Kakashi explained. Tsunami nodded, smiling.

Tazuna looked back at his daughter."We're off, Tsunami."

"Bye. Take care!"

...

Ice knew something was wrong. Very wrong. The air was tinged with the smell of blood. It overwhelmed the normal scent of wood and sweat, hanging there, laughing at them. Ice tensed up, growling. Sasuke looked over at her, but then dismissed it as the same odd behavior she had that morning.

Ice's suspicion was real as they came out onto the unfinished bridge. The workers lay on the ground, blood splattered around them.

"Wh-what the hell! What happened? What could have...?!" Tazuna yelled, running over to one of the workers and propping him up.

"M... Monsters..." The worker choked out in reply.

Mist surrounded the area, sending another stab of fear through Ice. She had been training, but... No, she wouldn't fail again.

 _Looks like we should've taken Naruto after all..._

"They're coming!" Kakashi warned, as the team moved to guard Tazuna. Sasuke pulled out a Kunai knife, shaking slightly. Ice got into her battle stance next to him, her ears forward and erect and tail bristling. _This is it... He's back!_

Kakashi moved his hand up and made a hand sign. _I was right! He survived... And he's come back to finish things..._

"Master Kakashi! Is this... The man we met... His 'hiding in the mist' technique... Isn't it?"

Ice focused her senses, listening as hard as she could. She could hear footsteps, slightly.

"Been a while, Kakashi..." Zabuza said in a mocking tone.

"And I see you've got those brats tagging along, just like last time. And the little boy is trembling again, poor thing..."

Ice snarled, feeling Sasuke shake beside her. Then movement caught her eye.

They were instantly surrounded by water clones, each one poised for attack. She felt Sasuke calm beside her.

"I'm shaking with eagerness for a rematch!"

"Go ahead... Sasuke!" Kakashi looked over at him, signaling the Uchiha to attack. Sasuke smirked and quickly slashed each one with his kunai, turning them to harmless puddles.

 _Well, at least he's stronger than last time... It makes me know I'm stronger too!_ Ice felt an unusual confidence flood her body. _I'll tear him apart!_

"Well! My water doppelgangers were obviously no match for you! It seems the brats have matured quite a bit...into worthy rivals... Eh, Haku?"

A teenager stood beside Zabuza, with a mask on. Ice saw recognition cross Sasuke's face, and was immediately confused. _Has he met her... No, him, before? I haven't seen this kid before... Meh, Fight first, talk later!_

"Looks like I was right!" Kakashi said, his hands in his pockets.

"Oh..." Sakura also knew this kid?

"Our mysterious masked friend... Is playing on Zabuza's team."

Tazuna spat onto the ground. "He has some nerve, showing up like this!"

"This one's mine!" Sasuke barked, taking a step forward.

"That was quite a show you put on before... But we're on to you now... And I hate ham actors!"

Sakura squealed, clapping her hands together.

"Sasuke's so cool!"

 _Errr... Why is she worrying about that now?_

"Impressive kid, isn't he? Even if your water doppelgangers have only a tenth of the strength of the originals... It's amazing he was able to do so well." Haku commented.

Ice was taken aback. _Only... A tenth? And I got knocked out in one hit? Am I... Really that weak?! I can't... How can I...?_ She looked down at her hands, trembling.

"But we're still on the offensive. Go!" Zabuza ordered.

"Yes, sir."

Haku moved toward Sasuke at a high speed. Sasuke grabbed his kunai and clashed with the masked kid, grunting. His one hand blocked Haku's attack. Ice's body tensed up, ready to jump in when she was needed.

"I don't want to have to kill you but... You probably won't leave me quietly, won't you?" Haku moved his hand up in a hand sign, making Ice wary.

"Don't be stupid."

"Just as I thought... However, you won't be able to match my speed for long... And I've laid the groundwork for two attacks."

Ice's ears pricked up, now even more frightened. Two attacks?

"Firstly, there's the water splashed all around us. Secondly, I've trapped one of your hands with this parrying move..."

Ice growled and moved to attack, but Sasuke threw her a glare that said "stay there, or I'll flay you." Ice stopped, trembling from the pressure. Was he going to be able to...?

"Secret art of water! Thousand needles of death!"

Immediately, the water around them rose, turning to sharp points. Ice saw Sasuke gathering Chakra... Then she understood. Their training!

Sasuke moved out of the way and behind Haku with lightning speed.

"Now you're the one who has to worry... About avoiding my attacks!"

Sasuke slashed at his opponent, only to have Haku move away. Finally, Ice could take it no longer and rushed in, kicking Haku. Before the boy could retaliate she moved back and circled him, her gaze focused and determined.

To her surprise, Sasuke didn't sound mad. "You're fast. **We're** faster!"

He did look at her with his annoyed glare, but Ice was just happy he didn't say anything then and there. Maybe he wanted her help? No, that wasn't it. It couldn't be.

"Haku, do you understand if this goes on, you could end up dying at the hands of the very person you fought to spare?" Zabuza growled.

"Yes, I do. What a pity..."

Ice felt the air around her grow distinctly colder. By the way Sasuke looked around confused, he did too.

Suddenly, water rose up all around them, trapping them. Ice's head snapped up in shock.

"Secret art of water! Ice crystal magic mirror technique!"

They were surrounded by ice, mirrors. Haku seemed to dissolve into them.

 _This is.. Kinda similar to my frost jutsu... Now that I have ice... I can use my other attacks..._

"Let me show you real speed!" Haku's voice seemed to come from everywhere, echoing.

All she saw was a blur, and the cloth of Sasuke's shirt rip. Then, Haku came from everywhere, slashing them apart. Ice screeched and moved in front of Sasuke, feeling slashing pain move through her back. The sounds of Haku's movement burst in her ears, as well as Sasuke's yell. The next thing she knew they were both on the ground.

Ice trembled in pain and shock. What just happened?

Then she heard Naruto's voice.

 _Naruto?_

"Uzamaki Naruto! At your service!"

Ice looked up to see him standing outside, that goofy grin on his face.

"Here I am, to save the day! You know how the story goes. Things look bleak... Till the hero arrives - and then- pow! Bye-bye bad guys!"

 _Meh! Can't he just get the the point!? Sasuke's and I are kinda in a predicament right now!_ She never expected the irritated thoughts to pop in her head, but that happens to anyone around Naruto, right?

"Hey! What was that before!?"

She turned to the angry Sasuke voice that seemed to be yelling at her. She pulled herself up and flattened her ears against her head.

"What... Did I do?"

Sasuke was covered in gashes, just like her. The only difference was that he was _pissed_.

"You know what. I don't need you jumping in front of me! Mind your own!"

Ice looked down. _I wish he actually knew... Why does he have to hate me?_

"...just be careful. This guy... Is strong..."

 _Wait, what did Sasuke just say?_

When she looked at him, he was looking away. Now she was seriously confused. _What?_

 **Then** she saw a blond kid in an orange jumpsuit behind Sasuke.

 _He did not just!_

"Yo! Sasuke, Ice, I'm here to rescue you!"

Now, Ice could say Sasuke was _royally pissed_.

"Y-you! Doofus! No stealth... No actual thought... And you call yourself a damn ninja!? Now that your stuck in here with us... Just do whatever! I don't care anymore!"

Naruto looked back at the fuming Uchiha, enraged.

"Oh, fine! I went through hell to rescue you, and this is what I get?!"

Ice stood up, ignoring the two's bickering. She tried to get a read on Haku's location, but even with her hightnened senses, she couldn't find anything.

"Looks like destroying all the mirrors may be our only hope!" Sasuke growled as he flashed rapid hand signs.

"Wh-what the hell is going on!" Naruto yelled.

"Fire style! Blaze of glory!"

Fire leaked out of Sasuke's mouth, cloaking the area around him in a furious blaze. Ice flinched, feeling the sudden heat.

As the fire cleared, the mirrors were still there, hardly dripping.

 _What?!_

"It's not even making a dent!"

"That pitiful flame will barely touch my ice mirrors." Haku informed.

"What about ice on ice!" Ice growled, flashing her own hands signs she picked up from the land of snow.

"Ice style! Wolf fang avalanche!"

As he put her hands together, a giant ice wolf leapt from one of the mirrors, crashing to the ground on it's enormous feet. Frozen air radiated from it's body.

"What the hell?!"

Ice smirked. She could only summon one, but that was enough.

The wolf threw it's head back and howled before leaping towards the mirror with Haku in it, it's mouth open, showing all it's razor sharp teeth. Haku sent a flurry a needles in the beasts direction, tearing it apart.

"Damn it!" Maybe one ice wolf wasn't enough.

"Impressive, but even that can't destroy my mirrors."

Ice looked down. Why did she feel so miserably weak?

As Haku started attacking again, Ice tried to hit him. She slashed at the air in a panicked frenzy, trying to hit anything. She only ended up being thrown to the ground, covered in more slashes.

"Which one of you is real?!" Naruto yelled.

"Your eyes will never see the truth. I can't be caught."

His words sent chills through her body. _There has to be a way... Sasuke can't just die here... No..._

"Ha! The art of the doppelganger!"

"No, Naruto, stop!" Sasuke yelled, but it was too late.

Countless clones appeared and attacked the mirrors. Haku only dashed and destroyed them all, leaving the original cut and bruised.

"The techiniqe I'm using is part of the art of teleportation. And I only need the mirrors to perform it. I move too quickly, you three might as well be standing still."

"It can't... End like this... I have... A dream to fulfill!" Naruto grunted, attempting to get up.

"I... Find it difficult to embrace the full Shinobi philosophy. I can't help but rather the three of you... Not force me to kill you. However, if you are going to come at me, I shall kill my heart with my own blade- just as the word 'Shinobi' was originally the words 'heart' and 'blade'- and act as a full-fledged Shinobi would!"

"This bridge is a nexus of our destinies. And all of our dreams for the future balance on the edge of a knife. I have my own dreams... As you three have yours. Please try not to resent me, but I am willing to do whatever it takes... To protect the one I care about most, to fight, kill, or die to fulfill that persons dreams. Doing so is my own dream. To that end, I will become a true Shinobi... And I shall kill you both."

Ice felt Haku's words sink in. _What makes us all human, what binds is all together... The dreams we share, the feeling of loneliness... We aren't that different, are we? This kid is doing the same thing I wish to do, protecting someone he cares about. Human..._

Haku glanced over at Ice.

"And I believe you and I have similar goals, only to different people. To love someone blindly, to know that without them you would be dead, to want to make sure their dreams come true... You understand the feeling, don't you?"

Ice flinched and stared at him. Haku was right. If it weren't for Sasuke, she would be dead. She would do anything to make his dreams come true-to bring his clan back. At first, she thought that's what made her a wolf- the undying loyalty and devotion-but maybe it went deeper, ment something else.

She was aware of Sasuke glaring at her. Naruto just looked at her quizzically.

"What? What does he mean, Ice?"

Ice chewed her lip-a habit of hers- and remained quiet.

Haku dissolved back into the mirrors as Naruto pulled out a kunai.

"Aw man... Sasuke! We gotta stop reacting and take back the initiative!"

"Shut up! Get to your feet. I can't watch you and fight him. We're all wounded, but we need to suck it up. As long as we stay alive, we should be fine. There has to be a limit to his chakra!" Sasuke replied.

Haku attacked them again, this time bringing Naruto to the ground. Blood splattered across the ground as Ice felt _even more_ cuts on her body. She slipped and fell, panting and biting her tongue to keep from yelling.

Sasuke began looking from Naruto to her, growling. Ice managed to get up, leaning against the wall.

Haku unleased another flurry, this time only at Sasuke, but this time he was faster. He was starting to follow Haku's moves, see things even Ice couldn't see. Her eyes widened. _He's... Starting to see..._

"You... Move well... But my next assault will take you down!"

Haku turned to attack... Her? It was too late as she saw his body disappear. She braced for a painful onslaught.

The next thing she knew she was being barreled over by _someone_. Then that _someone_ was crushing the breath out of her.

"I though you were faster then that, _mutt_." She felt a warm breath on her cheek. Wait, Sasuke? Did he just call her a mutt?!

Sasuke stood up, glaring at his opponent. Ice looked up, confused. _What the hell just happened? Meh!?_

"You're...! I see... You, too,share the legacy of a Kekkei Genkai bloodline!"

"Wait, Sasuke?!"

"Grrr..."

Ice got up on wobbly feet and moved so she could see his face, ignoring the fact she was crowding him.

His eyes were red.

The Sharnigan.

"Holy crap!"

She jumped back, frightened by the sudden change. _The Sharnigan..._

Haku stood there, his face hidden in the mask. Ice wished she could at least see his eyes.

 _The Sharnigan... He's actually awakened it... I never expected..._

"Time to bring this to an end!"

One second, Haku was screaming. In the next, Sasuke stood over Naruto...

Covered in blood.

 _No..._

* * *

 **Ugh, that was a long one. I debated on doing more, but felt I could end it here. This was mainly through Ice's point of view, but whateva. More stuff from the manga. It's just easier on me. This sucks so much... But I do find Ice's "meh" entertaining. It has a variety of meanings! "Meh. Meh meh! Meh? Meh!" (Translation: As usual, review of you have anything to say. I want criticism so I can make it better! Is that normal? Well, see you next chapter!)**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi! I like sushi. XD OK, please tell me if Sasuke is O.O.C. I could just see him doing this, because he does care, but he kinda doesn't want to show it, but he doesn't even want to feel it... Yeah, idk what I am writing. Idfk. I tried, but I think he'll still come off as O.O.C. It'll only be for this chapter, OK? Yeah, not okay...**

 **You know how Sasuke calls Naruto dobe? (I see dope and dobe but I personally like dobe better.) Well, he calls Ice mutt! Lol XD**

* * *

 _No..._

Naruto turned around, smiling, only to turn to horror as he saw what happened to Sasuke. His mouth was open, talking, but Ice couldn't hear anything.

 _This can't be... It can't be... No... Please, no..._

Sasuke fell to the ground, and Naruto held him up. Ice's heart stopped as she saw him go limp.

 _Sasuke... No, did I just fail my entire purpose?_

Her eyes stung with tears as she fell to her knees. She was hardly able to breath, each breath coming heavy and leaving strained.

She didn't notice the ground shaking, or the mirrors shattering as Naruto woke the power of the fox. She just couldn't... _Can't..._

She dragged herself over to Sasuke, her heart shattering in her chest as she saw his blood soaked shirt. She felt the pain again, the cruel jaws that clamped themselves on her body. This time, it was all in her chest.

 _How could I have failed!? I...I said I would... Why! Why not me!_

She started sobbing and shaking violently, to the point where she started pucking. Then she hurried her face in his chest.

 _I... I f-failed as a w-wolf... I'm not a... Wolf... I'm a... Failure... I... I'm s-sorry... So sorry..._

...

"... Ice?..."

Ice abruptly stopped sobbing at the sound of her name. _Am I going insane?_

"Your... Heavy... Mutt..."

Ice shot up. Was it really?

His eyes were open. Alive.

She opened her mouth, a choking sound coming out.

 _Is he really?_

His head slowly turned to look at her.

"Your... Even worse... Than Naruto... You look... Pathetic... Mutt..."

"Sasukeeeeeeee!"

Ice was suddenly shoved aside by Sakura, who started fussing over Sasuke and telling him how relived she was. Ice backed away, ears against her head. Relief flooded her body, but the pain didn't retreat.

 _I still failed him... He was... Almost dead... He... He'll really hate me now..._

Ice closed her eyes, blocking everything else out. The pain wouldn't go, and there was nothing she could do about it.

...

"... Ice? Ice, wake up!"

Kakashi was shaking the girl who was on the ground, curled into a ball hiding her face in her arms. She wasn't moving, but it didn't seem like she was fatally injured... It was like she just gave in and died...

He stared at his student and checked for a pulse once again.

 _It's there... Why isn't she getting up? Oh well, I'll just get her back to Tazuna's place. Maybe there is something else wrong..._

...

The team had been recovering from it's injuries. Since there was no need to guard the bridge builder now that Zabuza was gone, as well as Gató, they could take it easy.

Sakura had nothing, Naruto and Kakashi healed quickly, and Sasuke was on his way.

Ice was also healing, physically, but there was something else...

 _Something else... Something serious..._

She said nothing, would eat nothing, and was so... _Distant._ Everyone noticed it, even Inari. Yes, she never really talked much before... But this was _different._

Sasuke felt both angry... And sad? He was mad at the mutt for getting in the way, for hiding _something_ from him. What Haku said to her... The way she chewed her lip when Naruto asked... He **knew** she was hiding something.

But he couldn't the memory of how _lost_ she sounded when he almost died. He heard it while regaining consciousness, the _sobbing_ and the choking. Words that wouldn't come out. And her face...

Sasuke had never felt this pity before. Seeing her eyes- those pained, green eyes. And the way she just let Sakura push her away. The way she just curled into a ball and _gave up._

He got angrier and sadder every day. He wanted to go up to her and _yell_ at her and... He didn't know. He just wanted to do something!

Eventually, on the fifth day, he did decide to do _something._

Kakashi was surprised when Sasuke made a plate of food and walked off with it. He had his own food right there. _What's he doing?_ Kakashi just shrugged and went back to reading his book.

Sasuke limped over to the room Ice was staying and slammed the door open. Her ears flicked, but she didn't move. She just... Stayed there... Curled up in a ball...

Sasuke dropped the plate next to her head and sat down, glaring at her. She glanced at the Uchiha, then curled back up.

"..."

"... Eat the damn food."

"..."

"That wasn't a request."

"..."

"I swear, stop moping around and eat the goddamn food."

"... Why?"

Sasuke growled and balled his hand into a fist.

"... Cause we need you for missions. If you sit around and die now, it's one less person to help." The words felt dirty in his mouth.

"...So that's why..." She sounded so hurt, like a child who was just slapped by their mother.

Ice sat up-shaking and sounding like she was about to cry- and painfully ate the food. _Why... Does she get under my skin so easy? I don't get it! I never did that to anyone! Why her! Ugh, I just don't get it..._

...

"Ah! It's so awesome to be back! I was starting to hate that ocean!"

Naruto walked with his hands behind his head in a carefree manner, grinning. The team was now home, in Kahona. Sakura was delighted, and even Kakashi was happy.

Ice didn't really care. She didn't have a house to live in. A tree in Kahona was the same as a tree elsewhere.

She stared numbly as Naruto and Sakura chattered. It didn't matter what they were talking about.

"Ice."

She nearly had a hear attack as she heard her name from behind. She spun around to see Kakashi towering over her.

"What has been up with you lately?"

Ice looked away, chewing her lip again.

"As your teacher, I deserve to know what's bothering you. I know you like to keep things to yourself, but it's better to tell others sometimes- especially when it's bothering you and your teammates this badly."

Ice blinked. _Bothering teammates?_

"What do you mean?"

"Naruto is worried. I'm worried. And ever since you started acting up, Sasuke has been acting up. Even Sakura is concerned."

 _No... If they were concerned, why didn't I notice it? They can't be..._

"Well?" Kakashi prompted.

"..."

Kakashi sighed, shaking his head.

"When your ready to tell me, or _anyone_ , for that matter, do so. For the time being, come with us to the Ramén shop."

Naruto's head snapped up at the word "ramén". The blond teen started jumping around excitedly.

" oh yeah! Thanks, Kakashi-sensei!"

...

Ice didn't want to be there. At all.

Too many people, too much noise, too many dangers.

She never liked being around so many people. One of them could attack her at any moment. She felt their gazes burn into her as she sat at the counter, a few seats away from Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura.

Being in a crowd made her feel more lonely and helpless. Like she couldn't do anything. Like the world was too big. Her heart was speeding up and her body trembled uncontrollably as she thought of all the different people there and what they could do to her and Sasuke.

"Your shaking."

Ice screeched at the sudden noise and turned around, heart racing. Sasuke jumped back as well, his hold on his tomato growing stronger. They both stared at each other in a frightened manner, Ice just about hyperventilating.

"Woah, what happened? Ice, are you okay over there?" Naruto called. They were _all_ staring at her. Everyone. And it made it worse.

Ice made a strange, whining sound, before launching herself at Sasuke and holding onto him like it was the end of the world.

"What the hell are you doing, mutt?!" Sasuke asked, looking down at her awkwardly.

"Looks like someone has social problems..." Kakashi sighed. It _was_ kind of funny, seeing Sasuke ready to freak out because he was having the crap squeezed out of him by a wolf girl who had **serious** anxiety problems.

"Ice, seriously, _let go!_ " Sasuke growled while trying to pry her off. But she wouldn't budge. At all. The tomato in his hand dropped to the ground, forgotten.

"Kakashi! Some help? Use your Sharnigan or something!?" Sasuke wasn't _that_ skilled with his own Sharnigan yet, as much as he hated to admit.

Kakashi chuckled.

"Sorry. I don't feel like it."

"What do you mean you don't feel like it!" Both Sasuke and Sakura yelled at the same time. Sakura was getting angry. Ice was hugging _her_ Sasuke!

"I just don't feel like it. You guys need to learn how to deal with each other, and here is an example." The older ninja replied humorously.

"Get offa Sasuke now!" Sakura yelled, getting up while cracking her fists.

Sasuke turned, keeping the poor wolf girl away from Sakura's wrath.

"Beating the crap out of her will only make things worse."

Naruto got up, grinning.

"I have an idea! I'll tickle her off!"

"That's a horrible idea."

Naruto walked up to her and attempted to 'tickle' her sides, only to get promptly bit the second he touched her side.

"Owww! What the heck, Ice?! Why did you bite me!" Naruto cried while holding his bleeding finger.

A few people turned and stared at them.

"I told you it was a bad idea, Naruto!" Sakura yelled, pointing her finger.

"Maybe yelling and stuff isn't the best way to help someone who is having a panic attack?" Sasuke grunted, trying to walk away. Ice still clung to him.

"Why don't you try removing the source of panic?" Kakashi suggested.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked angrily." She panicked when Sasuke talked to her!"

"She was shaking before that..."

Sasuke groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why did it feel like he was surrounded by morons?

"I'm going to start walking home and _hopefully_ she gets the hell off me!"

Sasuke stormed out-girl still clinging to his body. Kakashi snickered some more.

Sasuke knew he looked stupid, with Ice still holding onto him, but really didn't care. They could think what they wanted. He only wanted to get her off!

Eventually, he was headed toward the Uchiha district, when he stopped. It was dark out-hard to see a thing. He looked down and growled.

"Wanna get off now?"

Ice looked up at him with pathetic green eyes.

"..."

"Mind telling me what the hell that was?"

Ice let go and sat on the ground, embarrassed and guilty.

"I... Have social problems... When I'm around a whole bunch of people I get really frightened..."

"Why sit there and not let go of me!?"

She looked down.

"I was panicking. I just wanted someone I trusted to hold onto. I wasn't thinking... I'm sorry..."

 _Someone she trusts?_ She did not just say that. Did she?

"Well, you need to work on that. I don't think it's very healthy."

Ice looked up at the Uchiha. His voice held a teasing tone?

"In fact, your emotional problems altogether need some addressing."

"..." She had no words for that.

"Perhaps punishment by cats would be sutible?"

To that she looked up, face curling in disgust and making sure to show her unusually sharp teeth.

"Yuck! Hell no! Keep those disgusting demon spawn away from me!"

"Then keep those emotions of yours in check."

Sasuke started walking away, leaving Ice in the grass, before freezing. (Hah, no pun intended? Maybe intended? Oh dear god, I hope Tobi won't be after me!)

"... Where is my kunai knife?"

"You had a kunai knife?"

"Yeah. I must have dropped it."

Ice cocked her head in confusion. _I didn't see him with a Kunai..._

Sasuke started looking around awkwardly.

"..."

"...it's unusually dark..." Sasuke randomly commented.

 _What's up with him? He never makes comments like that! In fact, everything he has said tonight wasn't Sasuke like?_ Ice didn't know what was up with him, so she decided to look up at the sky while he searched for his kunai knife.

"...what are you looking at?"

"The stars... Why?" She replied slowly.

"..."

She ignored his shuffling, now transfixed on the little lights. They had an odd soothing effect.

"... You know you can see the sea serpent from here? You can't see it in the land of waves. It is in the direction of the land of waves." Ice blurted out suddenly.

"... Why the hell can't you see a damn _sea serpent_ in the land of _waves?"_

"Well, I honestly don't know. There is a story behind it, though. See the red dragon? Well..."

She was too busy talking to notice Sasuke's shuffling stopped. She went on and on, just talking about the stars and the different mythology behind them, until Sasuke's kunai knife came back to mind.

"Hey, have you found your knife yet?"

Ice was surprised when Sasuke sat up quickly. Why was he on his back?

He made a show of looking around the area he was in.

"No. Whatever, it was only a kunai knife. I'll just get another one."

With that he quickly got up and walked away briskly.

Ice sat there, staring in his direction.

 _Hmm... Maybe... Maybe I can trust them? Team 7... Maybe..._

Sasuke finally reached the Uchiha section, a dark place. He shook off the chill that the heavy silence in the air produced and continued on, thinking about that wolf girl all the way.

* * *

 **I hate romance. And I love cats. But I HATE romance. But I love romance! Idk anymore XD I'm just as lost as Sasuke's "lost kunai knife". Yeah right, buddy, keep laying on your back. Your kunai knife is totally in the sky. 🐆**


	7. Chapter 6

**I doubt anyone got this far. But I'm still going :b to anyone who is still reading, thanks! I am disliking the result of this because I just realized how bad I am at action scenes. I try! I have been playing pokemon crystal lately. So nostalgic... Off the Naruto subject, huh? Well, I find that Naruto, Pokémon, and Dragon Ball Z like to overlap. Maybe because pokemon introduced many people to anime in general? Or because that's me and the people I hang out with XD.**

 **I realized that a squad at Kakashi's level would never do a mission like the one I made up, so I'm taking it out. For now, let's get onto the chunin exams!**

 **I have done research and found out that the SasukeXOC pairing is not very popular. I don't really care, because I'm going to see this to the end. Even if it is stupid. And Ice is no self insert! Actually, my other OC, Gizmo, is more like me. And she's no self insert Ice is not like that. Another thing is that i love horses and cats! Ice hates them. Bad Ice! I love her though! Sorry for the long note! I like to ramble on XD 🐆**

* * *

"Sasuke! Stop acting like your better then everyone!" Naruto yelled, pointing his finger at the black haired ninja. The team of five was at their normal meeting place, a small bridge that hung over a river.

"Stop bothering Sasuke!" Sakura demanded, stomping on Naruto's open toes. The blonde grunted in pain and held his now red toes, jumping up and down.

Kakashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. _Hmmm... Their teamwork is worse then before..._

Sasuke huffed and looked away. _Just like them, annoying the crap out of me. Hn, Ice is ignoring it well._

Ice was on the railing of the bridge, laying on her stomach and staring down at the water. Sasuke had decided that she was the one he liked most on the team. She never got in the way, could hold her own, and wasn't nearly as annoying as the others. It still unnerved him when she stared at him, but it no longer ticked him off when she shadowed him on missions. Honestly, the Uchiha was growing fond of her. He tried to deny it, but the fact was thrown in his face.

"When you guys are done bickering, I'm ready to give you guys your mission for today."

The four teens turned to look at their sensei, Naruto the most interested.

"This better be a good one! I'm getting tired of these chores! I want an actual mission!"

Sakura hit Naruto on the head, a vein popping out of the corner of her own head.

"Your so annoying! Just shut up!" She scolded.

 _I really hope this one is fun. Naruto is right... Cha!_ Sakura thought to herself.

"Follow me and I'll show you where our mission will be held."

...

"I can't believe this!"

Naruto was ranting and raving about the mission, complaining that it was more like a chore then ninja work.

Sasuke silently agreed. _Moving hay around isn't going to help me get stronger._

They had to move multiple piles of hay into a hayloft. The summer sun laughed at them, making the poor teens sweat in the heat.

Sasuke growled, wiping sweat from his forehead. At least he was almost done with his share. Naruto had hardly gotten started.

Ice didn't have to move hay. There was only three piles.

That didn't mean she had fun.

She had to pick up horse waste.

Sasuke actually felt bad for her.

It was the first time Sasuke actually saw Ice so _pissed._ Yes, she called Kakashi an ugly weasel a while back, but the pure rage in her eyes made that seem like a poke to the head. She didn't seem to like horses. Or any animal other then dogs, sheep, and wolves.

Kakashi sat on a rock, reading a book. Typical Kakashi.

As Sasuke finally got the last bit of hay off the ground, Naruto turned to him.

"I think it's your fault! You mess up our teamwork, so Kakashi sensei doesn't want to give us a good mission!"

Sasuke glared back, expressionless.

Sakura turned to Naruto, fuming."Sensei never said that, Naruto! Stop picking on Sasuke!"

Sasuke huffed and walked away, trying not to kill his two teammates. Yes, he had begun to grow attached to them, but that still didn't mean he wouldn't want to kill them. They _really_ tested his patience.

The teen walked over to where Ice was angrily doing her job and leaned against the fence.

"... I don't see why he didn't give Naruto that job."

"I don't see either." She replied, not in her normal shy voice.

Ice stopped to look over at him for a second, the cursing going on in her head ceasing. _Meh? Is he staying over here? I haven't been able to read him lately... I can't figure out if I'm shadowing him or if he's shadowing me?_

Whenever she would turn to find the Uchiha, he would be there. She couldn't figure out who was following who, or who was trying to get a read on who. It was better then him looking at her like he wanted to kill her.

Ice growled dangerously as a brown horse made it's way towards her. She didn't like horses because they always had attitude problems, and were hardly ever nice to her. She had many memories of getting kicked and bit. Quite obviously, it wasn't fun.

The horse moved past her, to her relief, to sniff Sasuke. The Uchiha looked at the animal through narrowed eyes, not moving. The horse sniffed his head before head butting him suddenly.

"Ow! What the hell!?"

"She wants attention."

A bedraggled looking man with a thick beard approached them, drinking out of a can. Ice grew immediately wary. The horse shook it's head.

"Easy girl. Easy." The man said, holding his hand up.

"I don't think hitting him will make him want to be around it..." Ice said coldly. (No pun intended XD)

"Here. Try petting her." The man said, gesturing Sasuke towards the horse.

"... I don't want to..."

Instead of getting mad at Sasuke's response, he laughed.

"Well, looks like you two are not very friendly, huh? Oh well. Understandable. The life of a Shinobi is a difficult one. My uncle was a Shinobi. It's hard seeing two youngins like you going into this life. My uncle broke under the pressure. Killed himself. Still remember the day my ma came crying." The man sighed and placed his hand on the horses face.

Ice blinked sympathetically, while Sasuke remained emotionless.

"You know, my pa told me something once. That everyone has to have someone to lean on. Otherwise, they fall, break, get lost. That must be doubly true for Shinobi. You guys got to depend on each other, especially this young. Make sure you two look after each other. And your friends. Now," the man stretched, yawning. "You can stop, you got most of it. I'm going to go take a nice nap."

The man walked away, taking another swig from the can. Ice was still a little wary, but after what the man told her, she didn't see him as so much of a threat. She walked away from the wheelbarrow full of horse waste and jumped over the fence. She began pondering what the farmer said, going deep in thought.

"..."

Sasuke was glaring at her intensely. Ice looked away, still feeling his gaze burning a hole in her.

"... I'm going back to the village." He said slowly.

"Meh?" Ice didn't see his point. Why did he have to announce it?

"... Aren't you going back too?" Ice blinked a few times.

"I... Guess?" She honestly didn't care. She had no house to go to. Only a tree. She could sit in any tree. It made no difference. But... Sasuke sounded like he _wanted_ her to go back.

"Then come on."

 _Wait... Is he telling me to go with him?_

"Okay... Shouldn't we ask Kakashi sensei first?"

"No. Why would we?" Sasuke scoffed, walking away with his hands in his pockets.

Ice stood in one spot-putting the situation through her head-before smiling and jumping after the young Uchiha.

... (A few days later)

Kakashi stood in a room full of ninja, all of them jounin. The hokage sat at a desk in front of them, a pipe leaking smoke sticking out from his mouth.

The old man looked them over, blowing a cloud of smoke from his mouth. "I have summoned you for a very important purpose. Seeing your fellow jounin here, I'm sure you realize what this is about."

"So soon?" Kakashi asked quietly and calmly, keeping his cool demeanor. "I thought we had a little more time."

"I take it all the other lands have been notified of the upcoming event? I noticed some of their genin have already arrived here in the village." Asuma said.

Kurunia, the third rookie team leader shifted. "So? When do we start."

"We will begin in one week." The hokage replied.

"That's pretty short notice." Kakashi pointed out.

The hokage looked up, blowing another cloud of smoke from his mouth. "Exactly seven days from today, on the first day of July, the genin will be gathered and tested. Only the very best will be selected as Chunin."

...

 _Grrrr... They aren't from this village. Why are they here?!_

Ice looked on from the cover of some thorn bushes. She had followed the sound of someone yelling, and it took her to this spot. Naruto and Sakura, as well as two kids Ice didn't recognise, seemed to be facing off against two teenage ninja with the mark of the hidden sand village on their headbands. One was big with black cloths, purple markings covering his face and something wrapped in white bandages on his back. He held Konohamaru, the grandson of the third hokage, by his shirt collar, making the little kid kick and scream. The other one, a girl with blond hair tied into four buns, was standing off to the side, hands on her hips.

"Your feisty. But not for long..." The teen holding Konohamaru said. Ice tensed up even more, considering her options. She would rather stay out of the fight, but she didn't want to leave the kid to get hurt. Naruto and Sakura were there, but Sakura couldn't be relied on to do much in a fight and Naruto tended to screw things up. Ice was reluctant to fight, after being in battle with another ninja and seeing what could happen. Her body shook, the blood pounding in her ears. _Why... Am I like this?! Why am I so scared!?_

Her heart stopped as the teen in black pulled his fist back, ready to strike Konohamaru. Naruto yelled and ran forward, about to attack. Ice growled uncertainly, shifting. _If Naruto can't do it, then I'll-_

Her thoughts were stopped as a pebble struck the teen on the hand, making him drop Konohamaru. Ice blinked and tried to look up, where the pebble came from. Thorns scratched her cheek, making her swat them away irritability.

"Your a long way from home and your way out of your league." Sasuke said calmly, flinging a pebble up and down while sitting on a tree branch. Ice couldn't help but smile. _Show off._

"Sasuke!" Sakura squealed.

Konohamaru ran over to Naruto, looking from the blonde haired ninja to Sasuke.

"Great. Another wimp to tick me off." The ninja in black growled, rubbing his wrist.

Sasuke crushed the pebble he had in his hand, letting the dust run from his palm. "Get lost."

Ice felt confidence flood through her body. She didn't know why, but seeing Sasuke so cool chased away her fear. She moved closer to the hole in the fence that she was looking out from, blinking the leaves away from her eyes.

Sakura was making fangirlish noises, staring at Sasuke like a dog does a giant, bloody steak. Naruto was staring in envy and anger, clenching his fists.

"Hey punk, get down here. You're the kind of pesky little snot I hate the most. All attitude and nothing to back it up." The unknown ninja growled, pulling the wrapped bundle from off his back.

The blonde haired girl stepped forward. "What? Are you going to use the Crow for this?"

Ice tensed up. _Judging by the fear in her voice, this is bad..._ Sasuke remained in the tree, unflinching.

"Kankurō. Back off." A quiet yet deadly voice ordered.

Sasuke turned to look at the source, another teenage ninja with red hair and a large gourd strapped to his back. He stood upside down on the tree, using his chakra to cling to the branch. Ice jumped slightly. _Since when was he there? Was I not paying attention or was he that smooth?! I never..._

Sasuke seemed to be put on edge by this as well.

"Your an embarrassment to our village." The unknown ninja said.

"O-oh. Hi, Gaara..." The ninja in black, Kankurō, stuttered. The immediate change in his attitude was unnerving.

"Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?" Gaara asked.

Kankurō was tripping over his own words. "Uh, I know, I-I mean, t-they challenged us first! They started the whole thing, really. See, this is what happen-"

"Shut up. Or I'll kill you." Gaara cut the other ninja off.

 _This guy... Judging from the others reactions and his authority... He's the boss. He seems to be only genin, like us. Are these three a squad? They have the marking of the sand village their head bands.._. Ice fiddled with her kunai holder that was strapped to her leg in nervousness. _Whoever that guy is... Gaara... He's good. Real good. Dangerous... Sasuke..._

"Uh, right. I was totally out of line, sorry Gaara.."

Gaara turned to Sasuke, who still sat calmly on his branch. Ice could see that Sasuke's arm was tense.

"I'm sorry... For the trouble he caused." Gaara said, but Ice had trouble telling whether it really meant 'I'm sorry' or if it meant 'I'm sorry I didn't get to kill you.'

Gaara and Sasuke glared at each other, both unmoving and unblinking. Then Gaara dissipated into sand, the substance curling and moving smoothly from the tree to the ground, where the ninja reformed next to Kankurō. Sasuke stood up.

"Let's go. We didn't come here to play games."

They began to walk away, before Sakura took a step forward.

"Hey! Wait!"

"What?" The blond girl growled.

"I can tell from your head band that you come from the village hidden in the sand. Of course the land of fire and the land of wind are allies, but no Shinobi can enter another's village without permission. So state your purpose, and it better be good."

Ice snarled in frustration. _Why can't she just let sleeping wolves lie! It's less trouble to just let them go!_

"Really. Have you guys all been living under a rock or what? You don't know what's going on, do you?"

The blonde girl held up an ID, with a stamp on it.

"We have permission."

Sasuke blinked in surprise.

"Of course your correct, we are hidden sand genin. Our home is the land of the wind, and we're here for the chunin exams. Get the picture?"

"The chunin exams? What's that?" Naruto asked. Ice wanted to pull her hair out. _Idiot! Idiot idiot idiot!_ The wolf girl had found out that she had been repeating that word a lot lately.

"Well I've never heard of any chunin exam. Believe it!"

"I believe it alright, that your totally clueless." The hidden sand girl said smugly.

"Hey boss, those are the exams every genin has got to take to graduate to be a full on chunin." Konohamaru said.

"Oh why didn't you say so I am so there!" Naruto replied, smiling.

Sasuke jumped down from the tree as the three sand genin began walking away again.

"Hey! You! Identify yourself!" The Uchiha barked. Ice started shaking. _Why can't you let them leave why can't you let them leave why can't you let them leave?!_

The girl turned around smiling.

"What, you mean me?"

"No, him. The guy with the gourd on his back." Sasuke answered.

"My name is Gaara, of the desert. I'm curious about you too. Who are you." Gaara's voice was smooth like sand, calm yet with a dark force behind it.

"I am Sasuke Uchiha."

The two genin stared each other down, their gazes unwavering as a slight breeze passed over the area. Ice could almost feel the tension, the heavy silence that stopped her breath and her heart. She was almost relieved when Naruto broke the silence.

"Hey! I bet your dying to know my name, right?!" He said with his usual goofy, full of himself smile.

"I couldn't care less."

With that, the three sand genin jumped away, leaving team 7 and the three kids alone. Ice sighed in relief. _Finally. They're gone._

Naruto bent down in front of Konohamaru."Hey, Konohamaru, do I seem uncool or something?"

"Yeah, compared to Sasuke, your pretty lame."

Naruto began yelling in anger. "You can't show me up, Sasuke."

"Back off, loser." Sasuke blinked then looked at the hole in the fence. Straight at Ice. The teen flinched slightly. _He's looking right at me..._

"... Ice, I know your there. Come out."

"Crap..."

Ice thought she had gone unnoticed. Apparently not.

Naruto looked around confused. "Huh? What are you talking about, I don't see-"

"Ice, I said get out here!"

Ice cautiously crawled out of the thorn bush and out the hole in the fence. Her ears flattened against the side of her head.

"...um...Hi?"

"Uh... I knew you were there the whole time!" Naruto said suddenly, rubbing his head nervously.

Ice walked over, looking around for any sign of danger.

"Next time you want to hide in a bush, keep your tail still." Sasuke said.

 _I don't recall my tail moving? Oh well..._

Ice rubbed her arm nervously. The sand genin had really set her off.

"So, Ice, why were you hiding? Why not come out and help us?" Sakura asked, somewhat harshly. She had seen Sasuke and Ice together on missions, and she didn't like it.

"I..." Ice began, shifting on her feet. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"I was ready to jump out if trouble occurred. I just... Would rather avoid a fight. After being in one and seeing everything that can go wrong, I'd like to have as little conflict as possible..."

Sakura huffed, the word _coward_ on her tongue, but didn't say it because she herself had seen Ice fight. And because Sasuke was glaring daggers at her.

"...so... They were talking about the chunin exam..."

...

"It is time we selected the participants for the chunin selection examination. To begin, will those in charge of the rookie genin step forward." The hokage said, looking from Kakashi to Asuma.

Kakashi, Kurunia, and Asuma stepped forward as they were told.

"Kakashi, Kurunia, Asuma. What do you say? Are there any in your squads that you would like to recommend, who are ready for the exam despite their inexperience?"

The hokage blew smoke from his mouth before continuing.

"As you know, any genin that has carried out eight or more missions is technically eligible. Beyond that, only you can decide when they are ready. Of course, most genin require a much longer training period. At least twice that many missions."

Iruka nodded in agreement.

"So Kakashi, you begin."

"I lead squad seven. Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzamaki, Sakura Haruno, Ice. I, Kakashi Hatake, recommended all four of these genin for the chunin selection exam."

...

All of team 7, minus Kakashi, were at their meeting place, the bridge. Sakura's hair was still wet, and Naruto was moaning.

Sakura suddenly shouted in frustration.

"Why why why! It's always the same, we're always here early and we have to wait hours for him!"

Naruto raised his fist. "It's not fair!"

"What about my feelings!? I rushed here so fast I didn't have time to blow dry my hair!"

"And I didn't even have time to brush my teeth or change my underwear!" Naruto added.

"You didn't? That's... Really disgusting Naruto." Sakura said, shifting uncomfortably.

Sasuke glared off into the distance. _First thing in the morning and they're already driving me nuts._

"Um... Is hair really something a ninja should worry about?" Ice asked quietly. Sasuke glanced at her.

"Oh you should be talking, miss bird nest! Do you even try to manage that mess of yours!?"

Ice blinked. "Yes, but it's not something of utmost importance. Is hair vital to saving your comrades lives, or winning a battle? Besides, doing ninja stuff just messes it up anyway."

"Her hair isn't that bad. Now can you guys shut up?"

Sakura looked over at Sasuke open mouthed. _He did not just back her up!? Cha! Ice... He's mine! You hear me?! Mine!_

Ice flinched as Sakura looked like she was trying to make her drop dead by glaring at her. _So much for being friends... Meh..._

Kakashi appeared on one of the beams overlooking the bridge.

"Hey! Good morning everyone. Sorry I'm late, I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life."

"You liar!" Naruto and Sakura accused, while Ice tilted her head.

Kakashi jumped down, looking all of his students over through his half closed eye.

"I know this is rather sudden, but I recommended you all for the chunin exams. All of you. These are the application forms."

Kakashi held out four slips of paper.

"Application forms?" Sakura asked.

"Your repeating me, Sakura. This is all voluntary, it's up to each of you. If you don't feel ready, you can wait till next year."

"All right! Kakashi sensei, you rock!" Naruto jumped up and wrapped his arms around e jounin's neck in glee. Kakashi turned and pulled Naruto off.

"Naruto, don't slobber on my vest! Alright, whoever wants to take the exam, sign the application forms and come to room 301 at the academy. It's at 3:00 pm, five days from now. That's it."

Naruto took one of the forms, excitedly repeating the phrase "chunin exams!" Ice cautiously walked up after Sakura had taken hers, looking the piece of paper up and down in her sensei's hand.

"Go on, Ice, it isn't going to bite you." Kakashi prompted with amusement.

Ice took the paper sheepishly and looked at it, rubbing the edge with her thumb.

...

"Hah! Chunin exams! I'll be up against some really wicked ninja!" Naruto said, smiling. The four genin were walking along a path that led back to the village. Ice held the paper at her side, breathing deeply. _He thinks that's a good thing?_

She was remembering what the farmer had told her. About the one ninja who collapsed under the pressure. Was this the pressure? The feeling that something bad was going to happen, the feeling of foreboding, the fear events were going to repeat themselves? Ice's mind was dashing back and forth. _I came here to protect Sasuke... But... Things are changing... Is that really my purpose? Can I do it? I'm so much more scared... I..._

Sasuke smirked, thinking about Gaara. _I hope I get to face that guy..._

Naruto looked over at Ice, grinning, before his expression changed from gleeful to concerned.

"Uh... Ice? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost? I know you've been jumpy lately, but is it really that bad?"

Ice jumped, putting her musings to the side.

"Sorry... I... I don't know."

Sasuke turned around, glaring at her. _Hmm... Seems she isn't taking it well._

"Hey, don't worry! We'll be sure to pound them! Believe it!" Naruto said, jumping up and down. Ice looked down at her feet.

 _I hope..._

* * *

 **This took me forever! I found Ice freaking out in the bush funny. I was laughing while writing that. Also, the hair part. Her hair isn't that bad, as Sasuke said (wow, he made a comment! Omg) but it does like to go all over the place. She isn't girly in the slightest!**

 **I added a bit of extra detail in this chapter, so sorry if it bored you! I just felt like if someone who is reading this hasn't watched these episodes in a long time, they may appreciate the extra detail. Please tell me if I should continue with that! Also, I may have spelled a name wrong, since I was watching the anime and I don't have this particular manga book. I'm watching all these episodes again. Been awhile! Ah, so many memories...**


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: this chapter was pulled out of my behind because I was bored and may or may not have any Jack London inspiration at the end. It also has rambling. Lots of it! But it does have some past revealing elements!**

 **Naruto:That was a long disclaimer.**

 **Shut up, dobe.**

 **Naruto: omg are you Sasuke?**

 **Last chapter was a bit slow! And most likely boring. So here's an interesting chapter! Kinda. More filler. Cue the flashback chapter! Here we go! (You can skip it if you want, but it is short and worth the read. It sheds a little light on Ice and her past.) I'm planning on making a one-shot collection, and I could add some more parts of her past! I need some ideas, so I'm up for some.**

 **As for Naruto's question, I can't be Sasuke because if I was, I would kidnap myself XD**

 **Naruto: how does that even work!?**

* * *

Ice hated rain.

It made her feel sticky and soaked, the ground squelching beneath her feet and sticking to her sandals. She had learned that sandals were a popular thing, especially for ninja, in Kahona. The Hokage said that if she had a chance of living here and becoming a ninja, she had to fit in.

She was already getting the eye. She tried to look smaller then a nine year old girl could and stuck to the nearly empty streets, but the residents still pointed at her and glared, wondering why a girl would have a wolves ears and tail.

The academy was worse. The kids there were either scared of her, or made fun of her. She didn't care, for the most part, except when they called her _thing_. That was the thing Ice hated most. Being called a _thing._

The only reason she got there was through a trade of information. She was lucky to get to speak to the right people. The kind ones. Once she told them what she knew, they deemed her as valuable.

She owed them, especially the Hokage, a great debt.

She was smarter, in a way, then the average nine year old.

But the academy made her feel like a complete fool. She was never able to read well, and things like mathematics and language were out of her league. Of course, she worked hard at it. When she didn't have answers, she took clues from others, as she always had. She knew the clever ways around things, and that's what separated her from the others.

She sighed in relief when her tree came into sight. It was off the path of the village, beside a long forgotten stone path. She chose this place. The tree had broad branches to sit on, and thick leaves to hide in. For a wolf, she climbed trees like a cat. Her least favorite animal.

She jumped up and grabbed hold of a branch, pulling herself up and laying on her stomach. Her tail swung limply, a wet, messy mass of fur. Ice blinked and pushed the wet bangs out of her eyes. _Ugh. This is the only time I am grateful for not being covered in fur. Even though I'm up for a good swim when it's hot..._

Her ears twitched suddenly, the sound of light footsteps approaching cutting her thoughts off. Ice glanced past the leaves, heart pounding.

It was a blonde kid, with an orange shirt. He had whisker like markings on his cheeks, and walked with a glazed, lonely expression. Ice blinked and leaned closer, trying to get why a kid her age would be here. He looked faintly familiar...

The kid stopped and looked dead at her. She froze. He had deep blue eyes. _Hey... He's from the academy! That's why he's familiar..._

The kid looked at her numbly. Ice stared back, wide eyed. The silence was heavy, the only thing moving being the rain. Ice hardly heard it, lost in her staring contest.

Eventually the kids expression lightened with curiosity.

"Hey! Are you from my class?"

"... Yeah..."

"How come your up there?"

"It's safe."

The kid started laughing, putting his hands behind his head.

"Well, that's a funny reason! Isn't it safe down here?"

Ice frowned. Did this kid have no actual thought?

"No. Anyone can attack me down there. I can hide up here. Why are you here? Not many humans use this road."

Now the kid looked confused.

"So... Do cows use this road or something? If us humans don't, what does?"

Ice chuckled a little. It was nice to be considered human. No one did that anymore.

"Bugs. Hey, what's your name?"

"Naruto! Naruto Uzamaki..." Naruto's enthusiasm wavered a little, as if he expected her to run or something.

Ice tilted her head. "I'm Ice."

Naruto looked up, wide eyed, then smiled.

"Heh, that's a funny name! Believe it!"

Ice felt a little offended. What was wrong with the name she picked for herself? She decided against voicing her displeasure. This was the only person whom she had been able to have a nice, normal conversation with.

She was almost sad when he turned to go.

"Well, I have to go! Rain ain't helping much! Besides, I have to go home and eat my ramen! Hey, I'll see you at the academy tomorrow! Believe it!"

With that, Naruto ran off. He seemed very happy, like he hadn't talked to someone in a long time either. Ice smiled, her first, genuine smile in a long time.

She saw him at the academy often. They never really talked, but sometimes they exchanged a greeting. One time, Ice even gave him money. She didn't buy food at the academy, so she didn't need it. It was clear though, the kid was not well liked.

Because he had the Kyuubi, or nine tailed demon fox, sealed within him.

He didn't seem like a demon. Ice was shifty around anyone, but tried not to look so around the fox kid. That's what he was used to, and it could be useful to have his favor, in case they ever met in the life of a ninja.

...

It was on a particularly sunny, happy spring day that Ice was in a dark, cold pit. An emotional pit. Cherry trees were pink and bright, the grass glowing green. If Ice's mood was able to be seen, it would be black, lifeless, deep. And the coldest thing ever to have set foot on this world.

It was hard not to feel this way when you were just chased by a drunk, failed a test, and have been alone for what seemed like forever.

Ice was used to the cold. In the land of snow, it was literal. It was also literal, when her littermates went cold beside her when she was still a wolf pup. It was literal when she was soaked to the bone with rain.

It wasn't literal when she was alone. It wasn't literal when no one understood you, when it seems your in a cage with people pointing, calling you a _thing_. It wasn't literal, but it was painful. It never made you numb, like the literal cold. It keeps on constricting you, a coldness that, if you feel long enough, you don't shiver to anymore.

Ice curled up, knees pulled in and arms wrapped around them, back against the side of the academy. It was what they called 'recess', or 'brake'. It was a time that the students could go outside and do whatever for an allotted period of time. There was swings, and slides, and other things. Ice never had any interest in them. Neither did the other kids, they were too old. Naruto was always found on a swing, however.

Ice liked to climb a tree and keep hidden during this time, but she didn't have the energy today. She just wanted to disappear.

It took her a moment to notice someone was standing in front of her. She didn't know how long they were there for, just that she noticed a pair of legs that weren't there before. She looked up quickly, frightened, only to see a very familiar, yet very different face.

Sasuke.

He was glaring at her, unmoving. Ice's heart raced in her chest. _He's... It's really him!_

His eyes were the same onyx, his hair the same black with a tint of blue, his skin was still pale... But he looked so _different._

His eyes were harsh, deep, and his emotion other then a tiny bit of anger. He was emotionless, yet Ice could see, just as she always had, the suffering that he had sent through.

Sasuke stood there, frozen, before huffing and walking away. Ice's gaze followed his every footstep. Her mind was whirling with memories. Memories of when she was still a wolf, in a wolf body, running and playing with him. With the warm, fun-loving kid he once was.

Memories of the night the Uchiha clan was killed also came back. When she tried to protect him, only to get seemingly killed. When she had woken up somewhere else, sealed in a human body, she thought he was killed. Why she never noticed he was there before, she didn't know.

Ice was filled with an iron hard resolve, reawoken from long ago. The primal instinct, the one that all wolves posses, the one that caused man to tame them into man's best friend.

The desire to serve and protect the pack, to live for it, to die for it.

And to her, the only pack she had left was him.

Sasuke.

* * *

 **Well, we hardly got anywhere there! Too little short stories that came to mind. That shed a tiny bit more light about stuff, since I know the people still reading may be wondering "gee, how'd she get in the leaf in the first place?" As well as, "if she was a wolf how is she a human?"**

 **As for the sealing thing, it's not a physical seal like Naruto. It's more like putting the wolves soul into a human body to occupy it, alone. And let me tell you now, this all may or may not tie to a certain sadistic... Reptile.**

 **As for my first review in forever, my second review on this story total, thanks! I have also been getting a few favorites and follows, and it makes me really motivated!**

 **Shine bright like a Doitsu!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Three chapter at once to make up for the filler! This one gets back on target. No, not the store.**

* * *

"Iruka sensei?"

Ice had been jumped while waiting for Sasuke, in which she freaked out and pummeled her 'attacker'. Then, she noticed something was off, so opon close analysis she noticed this ninja seemed a lot like Iruka sensei.

"What?! What nonsense are you giving me, girl! You should be worried about the chunin exams, the nin-"

"If you weren't Iruka sensei, why would you be warning me about the chunin exams?" Ice asked, trying to slow her heartbeat. The blood still roared in her ears, the sudden appearance of this ninja scaring the crap out of her. The chunin exams were tommorow, and though she was scared, she had made up her mind. She was going.

The 'mystery' ninja seemed to sweat a little.

"Because..."

"Because your Iruka sensei." Ice cut off irritability. Now that she had calmed down a bit, she was angry. Why would her former teacher attack her? What was the point?

"I... I'll get you next time!"

The ninja disappeared in a cloud of smoke, making Ice even angrier.

 _That big jerk... Giving me a heart attack! But... I am a bit scared for the exams..._

...

"Where's Sakura?"

Naruto, Ice, and Sasuke were waiting outside the academy, forms in hand, waiting for their pink haired teammate. Ice was chewing nervously on a piece of jerkey, trying not to flip. She had already seen some pretty mean looking ninja pass them by, and was not eager to see more. _I would say we can lie low, but those two have to challenge every little thing they see..._

Ice glared at both Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto didn't notice in his search for Sakra, and Sasuke was busy thinking about Gaara. Ice sighed and messed around with her tail.

"Sakura! Hey, your late." Naruto called as the pink haired genin approached the rest of the team. Ice looked over to see fear and nervousness in her eyes as well. _Looks like I'm not alone..._

Sakura raised her hand, apologising. "Uh, right. Sorry guys." She then distantly looked at Sasuke. "Good morning, Sasuke..."

"Yeah." Sasuke replied. _What's up with her? She's different..._

Naruto was silent for a moment before jumping and pointing at the door.

"Come on! Now that your here, let's go! I'm ready for this exam, believe it!"

 _I believe your going to get us killed..._ Ice thought darkly.

...

They came upon a crowd of what seemed to be older genin, filled with nervous whispers and someone talking up ahead. Ice saw two genin that looked only slightly older then her on the floor, one a weird looking guy with black, bowl cut hair and a green jumpsuit, and a girl with brown hair and a pink shirt. Two ninja blocked the door, one of them talking. Ice felt something amiss, like it wasn't what it seemed. She froze, looking around cautiously, before continuing to follow behind Sasuke. She noticed the girl's cheek was red, and the guy in green had a few bruises.

"Did you say harsh? We're being nice by comparison. The exams are going to make this look like a picnic." The one ninja with multiple bandages said.

His partner began speaking. "Some of you won't survive the exams. Others may will be wrecked for life and some of you may go crazy. For Chunin it's always life and death."

Sasuke began moving closer, hands in his pocket. The rest of the team followed, though Ice did so hesitantly.

The ninja with bandages started again. "You think this is a joke? Chunin are qualified to lead missions. The lives of your squad members are in your hands, so you'd better be tough enough to take the heat. Delicate little girls don't belong here." He said teasingly, making Ice wonder how he could smile about something so serious.

"We're just pinning out the herd, you won't pass anyways so just go home and play with your dolls!"

Sasuke walked up to the two ninja.

"Real nice speech. Now both of you, step aside and let me through."

By the sound of his voice, Ice could tell Sasuke wasn't messing around. She shifted on her feet. _A fight can't happen here, right?_

"And while your at it, reverse the genjutsu. We can see through your illusion anyway. We're going to the third floor."

Ice looked up in surprise. _So that's it! They set up an illusion with a genjutsu! That's why it didn't feel right!_

The other genin began whispering questions to each other, confused.

"Well well..." The two ninja looked a bit more serious.

"So, you noticed the genjutsu, huh?"

Sasuke turned to Sakura with a smirk.

"Tell them, Sakura, and you too, Ice, you both probably noticed it before anyone else did. Sakura has sharp eyes and the best analytical skills on our squad, and Ice has sharp senses and is very good at picking up clues, especially when she's alert. You two must have seen it coming a mile away?" He turned to Ice with an unreadable expression. Ice blinked, her ears twitching. _Meh... I think he's trying to show off by using his knowledge of our strengths. It's a good bluff. Hopefully, we can get them to back down without a fight..._

"I must have...? Well sure, of course! I spotted of right away! This is only the second floor." Sakura said.

"Right!" Naruto added.

Ice glanced over at her pink haired teammate nervously. _I didn't suspect it to be a genjutsu but I knew something was up... But I'm having trouble figuring out if she really suspected anything or not..._

Suddenly the numbers above the door warped, changing from 301 to 201, confirming they're suspicions. Ice growled, glaring as hard as she could at the two ninja. Maybe she could kill them by glaring hard enough, like Sasuke. (XD)

"So aren't we the smart ones. You noticed an illusion. Let's see how you deal with this!"

One of the ninja suddenly moved forward, ready to strike a kick at Sasuke. Sasuke tensed up, ready to parry with an attack of his own. Ice jumped up, ready to attack the opposing ninja, when a green blur passed through her vision.

 _Wait... What?!_

The guy in green from earlier was now between Sasuke and the unkown ninja, one hand stopping each of their kicks. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, while Ice blinked and looked around, wondering _what the hell just happened?! He... Was on the ground earlier... Now he's faster than Sasuke... And me?!_

The unknown ninja jumped away, while Sasuke just put his leg down. _He stopped my kick. That's some chakra he's got in his arm..._ Sasuke glared at the bandages wrapped around the other teens arm, eyes narrowing.

Another teen, with brownish hair and blank, pupil-less eyes, along with the girl from before, walked up to the weird looking teen. "What happened to the plan? I thought you were the one who said to keep a low profile and don't let anyone see our skill level." The blank eyed teen asked sternly, and Ice figured that due to his eyes, he was from the Hyuga clan.

The weird teen looked down. "I know, but..." He then looked over at Sakura, advancing towards her. Ice stiffened, still confused. _Meh! What what what who when why where how what?!_

"Never mind. It's over, forget it." The girl said, shaking her head.

Sasuke noticed he looked different. _What happened to the bruises he had before? Were they fakes?_

"My name is Rock Lee. And you are Sakura, correct?"

"Huh?"

The weird guy smiled widely, revealing pearly white teeth.

"Please be my girlfriend! I vow to protect you with my life!"

Sakura's huge forehead gained a blue tint. "Definitely... Not."

Ice could almost hear Lee's hope fall to the ground. "Why?"

"Because your a weirdo."

Lee looked down, heartbroken. Naruto laughed while Ice tilted her head in confusion.

"Why did she do that? He only wanted to be her friend...?"

Sasuke looked over at her.

"...please tell me you know what a girlfriend or boyfriend is..."

"Meh... A friend, right?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Your hopeless."

"What!"

The Hyuga walked up to Sasuke, glaring. His stare unnerved Ice more then usual, due to him being a Hyuga.

"Hey you, over here, what's your name?" It was more of a demand then a question. Ice began nervously shifting on her feet again. _This seems familiar._

Naruto looked over, suddenly furious. _Sasuke again! Why is it always him!_

"It's common curtsey to give your own name before asking someone else's." Sasuke replied smugly.

"Your a rookie, aren't you? How old are you, anyway?"

"I'm not obliged to answer."

"What's that?!" The Hyuga asked angrily, while the brown haired girl behind him giggled and whispered "cute."

 _Please don't start a fight please don't start a fight please don't start a fight please take the hint please take the hint please take the hint meh meh meh!_

Ice was almost jumping, looking back and forth between Sasuke and the Hyuga nervously. That got her both of their glares.

"Hmmm... Your an odd looking one. This must be the four man squad of Kakashi."

Sasuke turned around after one last venom filled glance, very subtly gesturing Ice to follow by moving his hand in his pocket. Ice sighed in relief and followed.

Lee and Naruto were both starting at the wall, Lee muttering something about weirdo and Naruto muttering about Sasuke. _He doesn't seem that weird. I don't see why Sakura had to be that mean._

"Hey Naruto, Sasuke, Ice, let's go." Sakura said, grabbing ahold of Sasuke and Naruto's arms and dragging them down the hallway.

"Don't drag my arm." Sasuke muttered, while Naruto seemed to like it, blushing oddly. Ice was confused once again. _I don't get these people. I really don't. Meh._

As they found the stairs and began to climb up them, Sasuke slowed down to walk beside Ice.

"Next time something like that happens, try to keep your cool. Your getting way to worked up. And, if I ever start to fight someone, stay. Out."

His words weren't as harsh as she thought they would be, but Ice still averted her gaze.

 _You don't understand. I can't. I'm sorry..._

* * *

 **That one was short! Sorry! It may have a few errors too. I wanted to get these posted today, so I had to shorten it up. To make up for it I should have the next chapter up soon. I have been busy making flipnote animations lately! I made an amv with Ice, and I'll put the video name in my profile. I'm open for ideas for a one-shot, as long as it's not NaruSasu related. I have nothing against the pairing, it's just I don't think it could ever happen. It's like putting Deidara in a kindergarten class. It just doesn't fit.**


	10. Chapter 9

**I got a bad review.**

 **Finally.**

 **I knew this would happen. My first bad review on this site!**

 **(I may ramble on, so... Yeah. May be a little over defensive, but eh. I ramble anyway, so let's have it be something somewhat productive! Well, not really... The person doesn't have an account, so I can't really message.)**

 **I thank your criticism. That's how people get better, by learning from mistakes. I'll try to watch the Sasuke OOCness, cause I think that's One of my my weaknesses XD. And yeah, I realized Sasuke is unusually interested in Ice. I'll try to fix that. If that's possible.**

 **Rewriting episodes, well... I can't help that. Some people like that thing. When it gets to shippuden, now THAT will start to get creative. Way more creative. Ice will have more relevance and change things later on, as stuff starts to get real!**

 **Replacing Kakashi in the one scene with Inari, I believe is justified, as it introduces Ice a bit more, and I do have a little trouble seeing her as a Mary sue. If someone could elaborate on that, I would be happy! I am not trying to get over defensive or justify anything. thank you to the reviewer for telling me though! People have their own opinions and are allowed to have such opinions. There will be people who don't like my story. Big digital lollipop to those people! They can like what they want and hate what they want to. Everyone gets a big, digital lollipop! (Wish those where real lol)**

 **Now, as for spelling and grammar, that was never my strong suit. I'm going to try to get a beta when I get WiFi back at my house, so I can upload whenever. For now, I have to walk a while to get WiFi, so there isn't much time. I'll be more careful! I am pretty lame at grammar, so... I'm doomed! Doomed! Death by grammar fail!**

* * *

The four genin entered a large room with wooden planks lining the floor and pale, spotless walls. Ice liked the space and the quiet, but the quiet was soon interrupted. Ice could hear footsteps approaching and growled softly.

"Hey you, with the attitude. Hold on."

The four stopped, turning around to see Rock Lee.

Sakura was instantly unhappy, while Naruto was confused. Sasuke's expression didn't change at all. Ice took a deep breath.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked.

"I want to fight. Right here, and right now."

Ice jumped and started waving her arms.

"No no no, why?! You can wait till the Chunin exams! Please?! Why does everyone want to kill us?! Why why why?! Why can't we just have a normal test? Why can't people just-"

In her sudden outburst, Ice tripped over herself and fell to the ground with a thump. Naruto started laughing.

"Heh, I never knew you could be so loud! Where you been keeping that?"

Lee blinked uncertainly.

"Ice..." Sasuke growled warningly , glaring at her.( spell check is acting up, so tell me if this is misspelled or not. It says it correct, then says it's not. Thanks!)

Ice looked down, not even bothering to get up. _I... OK, I didn't intend to have a breakdown. But what else am I going to do! I don't want anyone to fight! Meh, this is so frustrating! I feel like I'm slowly dying, dammit!_

Sasuke sighed and turned his glare over to Lee.

"So, you want to fight me here and now."

"Yes."

Lee approached them, moving into a fighting stance.

"My name is Rock Lee. You said it was common courtesy for a challenger to give his own name first, right? Sasuke Uchiha."

"So, you know me."

"I challenge you! Everyone is always talking about the Uchiha clan and how great they are. I want to see it it is true. I figured you would be a good test for me." Lee declared.

"And also..." Lee glanced over at Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi shivered. A blush crept across Lee's cheeks.

"Oh Sakura, I love you."

Sakura screamed and started shaking.

"Those eyebrows can't be real, no! And your hairstyle is horrible too! And those eyebrows are so... Bushy! Your such a weirdo!"

Ice stood up, head tilted to the side. "Umm... What now?" _What is going on?_

"You are an angel, sent from heaven." Lee closed his eyes and made a kissing gesture, and Sakura instantly jumped to the side like the air in front of the odd genin was poison.

"Keep your creepy little valentines to yourself! I was dodging for my life there!"

"You do not need to be so negative, Sakura..." Lee moaned in defeat.

"You've heard of the Uchiha clan, yet your challenging me? You must be more crazy then you look. If that's even possible. You want to know more about my clan? Then I'll teach you... The hard way." Sasuke snarled.

Lee rose his hand, his mouth curled in a smirk.

"Bring it on."

"No! No fight!" Ice yelled. She was starting to get irritated.

"Huh?" Lee asked, looking over at her.

"Stop! We should just hand in our forms and-"

"Stay out of it! It's none of your concern." Sasuke snapped suddenly, making Ice jump.

Ice looked down at her feet, a choking feeling rising in her throat.

 _But I don't want you guys to fight..._

Sasuke and Lee looked like they were about to go at each other, but Naruto interrupted.

"Hold it!" Naruto ordered.

"I get him first. This weirdo is mine."

"Go for it." Sasuke replied, to Ice's surprise.

Sakura fisted her hands in anger.

"Naruto..."

"What. I'll have this guy begging for mercy in less than two minutes!"

"No thank you! Right now, the only one I want to fight is Uchiha."

"Yeah? Well I got news for you!" Naruto began charging at Lee.

"Sasuke can't compare to me! Believe it!"

As Naruto got close, Lee simply tapped his fist away and sent him spinning into the wall, stunning the blonde genin. Ice's eyes widened. _How... He beat Naruto so easily..._

"Just accept it. You have no chance against me. Your skills are inferior. You see Sasuke, out of the top leaf genin, I am the best. Fight me and I will prove it to you."

There was a tense, heavy silence, the only sound being the clock ticking rhythmically. Sakura glanced over at it.

"We don't have time for this We have to register by three o'clock. That's less than a half an hour."

Ice nodded in agreement.

"Relax. This will all be over... In five seconds!" Sasuke replied, suddenly running at e opposing ninja and punching.

Only, Lee vanished as Sasuke's fist connected with the air he was just standing in. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly with shock and confusion as he looked around.

Lee appeared slightly above him.

"Leaf hurricane!"

Sasuke ducked under Lee's kick, only to have Lee hit the ground and kick him again, sending him across the floor.

"Sasuke!" Sakura gasped, while Ice ran a few steps forward. She stopped as she remembered Sasuke's order. _I... He told me to stay out..._

Sasuke groaned and slowly got up, trying to comprehended what just happened. _He's using some sort of technique to get at me... But is it a Ninjutsu or a Genjutsu? Hn. No matter. I got him right where I want him. Now..._

Sasuke smirked.

"I've been waiting to try this out."

Sasuke lifted his face, revealing the blood red eyes of the Sharnigan.

Ice felt hope creep into her chest. _The Sharnigan! Maybe he won't get hurt after all? Meh! He'll be able to tell what that guy is doing and avoid it. Thank the almighty Hokage's grandmother he has the blood of an Uchiha._ (XD I'm dying)

Sasuke leapt at Lee with a new determination. He pulled his arm back, ready to strike...

And was sent flying by another lighting fast kick to the chin.

"What the hell?" Ice asked out loud, feeling like she had just been flipped upside down. _But... But HOW!?_

"You see, my technique is not Ninjutsu or Genjutsu."

Lee attacked Sasuke with multiple hits and kicks that the Uchiha was hardly able to dodge. He then grabbed Sasuke's arm and elbowed him in the stomach.

Ice was swaying on her feet, extremely distressed. _I can't help him! Damn it, why does this have to happen! Damn it!_

"You see, I'm using Taijutsu, which men's no tricks." Lee said as he sent Sasuke stumbling away with a kick. He then moved behind the Uchiha with unbelievable speed.

"It is just straight martial arts, nothing more."

"Why you..."

Sasuke tried to hit the other ninja with his arm, but he jumped out of harms way with little effort.

"I know your technique. Forget it. It will not work. Not on me. I know you can see through your opponents Jutsu. That Sharnigan gives you the ability to read his chakra, and decipher his hand signs and movements. You can decipher what he is going to do almost before he knows himself! The problem is, Taijutsu is a little bit different."

"Right. So what's your point?" Sasuke asked darkly.

Ice's head was spinning. "What makes Taijutsu so different? You do use chakra to put force behind your attacks, do you not?" _I don't get it..._

"Sometimes, yes, but it makes no difference. I do not need hide, or disguise my moves. Even when you read them, you can not stop them. You are too slow. Your eyes may be quick enough to stay one step ahead of me, but your body can not keep up. What good does it do you?"

Sasuke was starting to get extremely frustrated. "Grrrrah!"

"You know what?" Lee began again. "This is what I believe. There are two different kind of ninja. Those like you, who are born with talent and do not have to work at it."

Sasuke growled and once again ran at Lee, _determined_ not to let this _freak_ show him up.

"And those like me, the ones who have to train every day of our lives!"

Sasuke threw a barrage of anger filled punches, none of them hitting their target.

"Your Sharnigan is the worst match for my extreme Taijutsu. Here is what I mean."

Lee moved- too fast for Sasuke to stop- and kicked him up into the air.

Lee suddenly appeared right below Sasuke as the Uchiha flew through the air.

"Dancing Leaf Shadow... " Sasuke said, identifying the technique instantly.

"Good eye. Now I will prove my point. That hard work beats out natural talent."

Ice gasped, moving despite herself. _Screw it! He needs help! I-_

Suddenly a red ninja shuriken flew from seemingly nothing, pinning the one of the long bandages on Lee's arm against the wall. Ice looked in the direction it came from... And was baffled by what was there.

"This is bad." Lee mumbled.

"Alright! That's enough! Lee!"

It was a... Turtle. A large, red turtle. Ice blinked and shook her head, trying to figure out if she was somehow hallucinating or if a turtle was _really_ talking.

Lee grumbled and let himself fall, making Sasuke fall in the progress. Sasuke made no attempt to right himself, and fell to the ground with a thump as Sakura attempted to catch him.

Sasuke pulled himself upright and glared at Lee, gritting his teeth.

"Are you alright? Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

Ice looked back at him, her eyes filled with unhidden worry and concern. But Sasuke didn't even look at her.

Lee went down on one knee in front of the... Turtle. Naruto looked on with confused blue eyes.

"You... Were watching us the whole time?"

"Of course. That last technique is forbidden, you know that!" The turtle answered.

Ice looked back at the talking turtle. _Is this just my bad karma after eating that one turtle or is it really... Meh?_

 _He's talking to a turtle... And it's talking back..._ Naruto thought.

"I am sorry. I did not mean to."

Naruto got a sudden flash. _That turtle must be his sensei!_

Lee began sweating.

"I was not planning on using a forbidden Jutsu! It's just, I was in in the middle of the fight... And... You understand!"

Naruto stood up. "I was right! It really is his sensei!"

Ice sighed and decided it was real. _Whatever. I've seen weirder. Like when that little centipede I was about to step on started screaming... Though it may have something to do with those berries I ate... Weird things always happen when I eat those berries, meh. Did I eat any this morning? Wait, no I didn't..._

When Ice dragged herself out of her musings, the turtle was still talking.

"Are you ready to take the punishment for your actions?"

"Yes sir..."

"Then come out... Gai sensei!" The turtle yelled.

"Huh? Who... Holy crap!"

Ice jumped as the scariest looking ninja she had ever laid eyes on appeared in a cloud of smoke on top of the large turtle. He was in the same green suit as Lee, with the standard Shinobi vest on. He also had the same shiny bowl cut hair and bushy eyebrows. To Ice, the similarities ended there. He was in an... Odd pose, with his hips sticking out and his fingers making an O shape over his eye.

"Hey! What's shakin'? How ya doing everybody? Life treating' ya good?"

Ice wasn't the only one who was immediately scared by this new man.

"He's got the biggest eyebrows yet! They're almost alive!" Naruto yelled.

The new guy looked at Ice and winked, smiling. "Oh, did I frighten you with my amazing charm?"

Ice screeched and scrambled towards Sasuke. "Get away from meeee! What the hell?!"

 _No no no no not now not now dammit Ice NOT NOW!_ Sasuke thought frantically, expecting her to cling to him. Instead, she his behind the Uchiha, peering over his shoulder. Sasuke let out a silent sigh of relief. _Dammit, first your butting into my business then your hiding behind me. Make up your mind!_

"Ah, I guess my charms a little to much. Hi Lee."

"Too weird..." Sakura muttered.

"So that's where Lee gets it. That same Insane haircut, and even bushier eyebrows." Naruto said loudly.

Lee turned around, angry."Hey! Do not insult Gai sensei! He's one of the greatest men, if not the greatest, in the entire world!"

"Excuse me for not noticing his greatness, I was too busy watching him crawl out from under a turtle!" Naruto yelled in reply.

"He did not crawl out!"

"Give it a rest, Lee." Gai ordered, waving his hand.

"Yes sir."

"Now..." Gai jumped down from his turtle and pulled his arm back.

"For your punishment, you little fool!" Gai punched Lee brutally in the face, causing Naruto and Sakura to yell in confusion. Ice shivered. _It's clear he's the alpha_.

Lee fell to the floor, and Gai walked over to him, kneeling down.

"I'm sorry Lee, but..." Gai's voice became choked with emotion. "It's for your own good!"

"Se-sensei..."

"Are they... Crying?" Ice asked quietly.

"Yes... They are." Sasuke replied. _I think I understand why mutt over here is cowering. How could I lose to such a weirdo? Garhg!_

Lee was suddenly hugging Gai, the two over emotional ninja making odd sobbing noises.

Naruto pointed at the two."Huh? Actually, it's kinda sweet, the way they're all huggy and stuff."

"You got to be kidding! They're both crazy!" Sakura replied.

Ice moaned and looked at the clock. _First scary exams, then Sasuke gets mad, then scary Alpha guy comes around... I don't know if I can do this... Why is that guy so scary, meh!?_

* * *

 **That was very episode based. Very. Whatever. Like I said, people like this kind of thing, other's don't. Ice being scared of Gai sensei is funny XD also the berry part. Ah Ice, those berries are probably not good for you lol. Anyway, I'm confident she has plenty of flaws and is not a Mary Sue, but if I missed anything, please tell me! Sometimes it takes another point of view to see something.**

 **Yes, I make Sasuke a little OOC and unusually attracted to Ice right away, but no ones perfect, mreow? But it is an AU, right? At least it's a bit more interesting. Not to justify anything. I suck. I made Sasuke OOC. When Shippuden rolls around (yes, I do plan on making it to Shippuden. No amount of criticism, flame, discouragement, and hate can stop me. Believe it!) The personality should be back to normal. I think I get him and Dark Pit mixed up. They are both very similar, dark streak with cool attitudes and a touch of EMO, but Dark Pit is slightly different. Maybe that will be in check when I start KICU up again.**

 **Smell ya later! (Pokémon reference, yay! Who loves Gary? #lovegary)**


	11. Chapter 10

**Warning: boring rambling not even that relevant to this fandom below. Skip to the story if you want.**

 **I hate Naruto.**

 **He killed my Fire emblem game.**

 **Wanna know how?**

 **I was bored, as I have played Fire Emblem awakening for a long time and all of my characters were pretty strong. So I decided to use the Avatar book to make avatars of Sasuke and Naruto then recruit them onto my main game. Sasuke went as planned, but as I made a file for Naruto, instead of clicking on the top file, which had Sasuke's file in it and I was done with it, so I was fine with overwriting it, I clicked on my main file. I didn't notice till after I went through the begging scene where your avatar and Chrom fight bad guy, Chrom gets stabbed, blah blah, when it took me to the save screen. I noticed the cursor was over the bottom file, my main file, instead of the one I thought I had clicked. Instead of reading "Endgame" it said where I was now in the current file. I tried resetting but I guess it had already saved the file on there, overwriting my hours opon hours of hard labor in the hardest mode in an instant, without even a testbox saying "are you sure you want to overwrite this file?" So that file was dead.**

 **Why is it Naruto's fault?**

 **It just is. Don't judge, okay?**

 **Most of you probably don't know what the hell Fire Emblem is, but feel my pain XD if Pain asked me right now, "Do you finally comprehend Pain?" I would say hell yeah. Because my Henry and Panne and Chrom and Wyvern Lord insanely OP Morgan are now dead. Heck, at least it wasn't my Pokemon game. I have about 300 hours logged onto my OR, and over 600 on my Black. Idk how many I had on my Crystal, Heart gold, Silver, Red, Yellow, or Ruby because they... Well, died. Heart gold ran away. Darn you, Heart Gold. Yah know, the logo on heart gold reminds me of Naruto... I hate you, Naruto.**

* * *

 _Oh thank the great Hokage. We're away from that weird guy. But... This is it..._

The four had made their way to the room where the exams were being held, despite the incident with Lee and Gai. Kakashi stood in front of the door, in his usual slumped position.

"Glad you came, Sakura, Ice. For both your sakes, and the other's. You can now all formally register for the Chunin exams."

Ice's ear flicked ever so slightly. _What does he mean by that?_

Sakura seemed to echo her thoughts. "Why? What do you mean?"

"You see, only groups of three are allowed to apply for- or in this case, a group of four- to take the exam. That's the way it's always been, and it's no different for a team with an extra member. "

"But sensei, you said the decision to take the exam was up to the individual."

Ice looked over at Sakura, then to Kakashi. _Was he... Lying or something?_

"That's right. I did." Kakashi answered.

"Was that a lie?" Sakura asked. Ice's tail flicked in an annoyed manner. _I don't like being lied too... Please tell me he didn't..._

Kakashi looked away. "Sort of."

Ice felt like a bird taken down with a stone. "Why would you lie to us!? Your our sensei! We're supposed to be able to trust you..." Sasuke was amused by the anger in her eyes. _Well, there's that again. She deserves it._

"Calm down, Ice. Yes, it is an individual decision, but it affects all of you. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want the other's pressuring you. Also, I didn't want you to feel obliged to participate because of any feelings you may have towards your teammates. I wanted you to come to a decision of your own free will. Both of you."

Ice looked away from her sensei, feeling crushed but understanding him at the same time. _Still... He lied... I'm gonna have to watch him from now on. Humans are so untrustworthy... Meh!_

Sakura looked up, putting together the information like a puzzle. "Wait, so if the others showed up but either Ice or I decided not to come with them-"

"It would have been the end of the line. If you or Ice hadn't come along, I wouldn't have been able to let the others in. But it's a mute point. Your all here, and for the right reasons. Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke... I'm proud of you! "

It took Ice a few moments to realize he didn't say her name. The annoyance crept back into her chest, along with the feeling of wanting to start crying like a lost pup.

Kakashi gave a little chuckle. "Oh, and you too Ice. I didn't forget. I'm proud of you too." The Jounin added with amusement. Ice growled softly. _He's playing with me! He's really... Oh well. Can't do anything about it. It still ticks me off though, meh!_

"I couldn't ask for a better team. Good luck." Kakashi said, stepping away from the door.

"I won't let you down, sensei! Believe it!" Naruto pledged, doing a little jump. Ice walked into the exam room behind Naruto, the confidence of her teammates flooding into her. _Maybe... I'll be fine! Maybe we'll all pass! Meh! If we-_

Someone pushed her slightly from behind, a light, fast movement, but still enough to send her jumping forward and jerking around, her heart stopping a few beats. Ice stared behind her, ready for an attack, only to see that no one was there. Besides Sasuke, who stood a little to her left and was glaring into the exam room with his hands in his pockets. Ice started looking around frantically, put on edge.

"Aw, come on, Ice! Cool it! Heh... Get it? 'Cause your name is Ice?" Naruto laughed, earning a punch from Sakura. "Drop your stupid puns! That was so lame!"

Ice turned away from Naruto, taking a deep breath. Sasuke hadn't moved an inch, still glaring at whatever he found worth the time to glare at. Ice was about to ask him if he saw who pushed her, but then decided not to. _He looks busy... Besides, he might still be mad at me from before... Is this place haunted too!?_

"Wha-whats this?" Naruto asked, drawing Ice out of her thoughts. She looked over at him, wondering what he meant before she _noticed_.

"Looks like we're not alone..." Sakura muttered.

The room was _full_ of ninja, of all different shapes and sizes and ages. Some looked like they were carved from marble, with large muscles, and some looked like they knew eighteen different ways to dispose a dead body at any given moment. Ice gulped and backed against the wall, her anxiety getting the upper hand. _Oh no... People... Lots... Ninja... Gonna... Oh great Ichiraku..._

Sweat ran down her face, and she didn't notice as Ino walked up and jumped on Sasuke, wrapping her arms around his neck. The Uchiha glared at the blonde teenager, but didn't move otherwise. _Not this again... They are so annoying!_ Sasuke thought to himself.

Ino's teammates followed behind her, Shikamaru moaning and Choji shoveling handful after handful of chips into his mouth like a vacuum cleaner.

Ice did notice a small bark, and looked over to see Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata and Shino approach the group. Akamaru, Kiba's dog, barked her a greeting from his place on Kiba's head, and Ice smiled despite herself and grumbled back a greeting of her own.

"Wow! You an Inuzuka or something? You look a little small to be one."

Ice jumped, turning to see a tall, average built Shinobi with brown hair and brown eyes. He had his headband tied around his arm, the metal plate with the leaf scribbled on it shining.

"Easy. I mean you no harm. Your a jumpy one! Guess that's a good trait in a ninja, huh?"

Ice looked up at this ninja cautiously. His muscles were relaxed, and he held a pleasant smile.

"Who... Are you?" Ice asked quietly.

"I'm Kiyomori Fukuda, though my mates call me Kiyo for short. So, you one of the rookies? I hear they had a team of four this round. That hasn't happened in four or five years."

Ice blinked and relaxed ever so slightly. It actually felt _nice_ to have someone talk to her like a normal human, at least as close to human as she could get. If felt odd, yet wonderful to have someone that didn't stare at her ears or tail, or her fangs.

"Yeah... I'm on the team of four..."

Kiyo scratched his head, brown eyes warm. "Well, what's the odds. Your fellow rookies seem a little rash, huh? Stupid, making a show like that. Good thing Kabuto's putting them in line. That guy is a little creepy, but so cool!"

Ice looked over at her teammates and the others, seeing an odd older teenager with gray hair and glasses talking to them. _Odd. I never heard them. Meh, I can tell from the glares everyone else is giving them that they did something stupid._ Ice shivered then turned to Kiyo.

"You know... You shouldn't talk about other people like that... You could pull attention or something. I wouldn't want to cross one of these ninja..." Ice glanced over at a bald ninja with a different symbol on his headband then her own, and quickly looked away.

"Eh, I don't really care. They'll just think I'm weak. I don't like fights. I can see you don't either! Hey, look at the bright side of the kunai. Your small and quiet. Whoever notices you won't even think your worth their time! Then they ignore you, you stay in one piece, everyone happy!"

Ice frowned.

"I guess there's some truth to what you say... But it isn't that simple... I can't just try not to be noticed and let my teammates get hurt. I want us ALL to stay in one piece..."

Kiyo's smile wavered a little.

"Hmm... That's a tough one, kiddo. Honestly, my teammates wouldn't give a damn if I was ripped to a bloody mess. So I give them that back. But my mates... We look out for each other. I trust em not to screw up, but when they do, then I step in. It just depends on the situation, the people."

Ice tilted her head in thought.

"What you say could work... I'm just so... Scared that Sa- I mean my teammates- are going to get themselves in danger and I won't be able to help. But... I'm sorry your teammates hate you... That must be hard." Ice realized that she had started to trust Naruto and Kakashi, and even Sakura. Needless to say, Sasuke too. The friendship that budded from working all those long, hot days together had grown without her noticing. She found it hard to think about life without that feeling.

Kiyo sighed. "Well, those dirtbags can do what they want. Some people just don't mix. They think I'm a fool, but let me tell you something. Sometimes, a smile hides a lot of things. Loneliness, pain, sorrow, insecurity, envy, love. The possibilities are endless. And behind the toughest looking walls lie the most broken, pained people. You can't say that a smiling, happy go lucky like me is happy and carefree on the inside, and you can't say that the most hardened, tough, emotionless Shinobi isn't suffering on the inside. They don't realize that. Good for them."

For a moment, Ice caught a glance of a scared, insecure teenager, one that was unsure of what to do or what would happen, beneath Kiyo's smile and friendly brown eyes. She felt a dull throb in her chest as she echoed his words. _And behind the toughest looking walls lie the most broken, pained people._

A ninja with white hair and a scar running from his nose to his chin waved in Kiyo's direction, his eyes harsh. Kiyo sighed and briefly flashed the ninja a middle finger before turning to Ice.

"I gotta go. Hey, what's your name? And are those little ears of yours real? I forgot to ask ya!"

Ice's mouth turned up in the faintest smile.

"Ice. And yes, they are real."

Kiyo laughed, walking away.

"Well, that's odd. Good luck, Ice!"

He waved as he disappeared into the crowd with the white haired ninja, leaving Ice alone. Her ears moved back with disappointment.

 _I was enjoying talking to him... I hope I see you again, Kiyo... And I hope you show your teammates what you really are! Meh!_

Ice looked around, surveying the room, putting Kiyo's words into perspective.

 _There's so much... I missed! So much I couldn't see! I see it now..._

She could see so much emotion, from places she least expected it. Mean looking ninja who's eyes were filled with pain and half hearted smiles. It was almost overwhelming, and Ice's anxiety wavered.

 _I can see so much now that Kiyo pointed it out... So much... Can other people see this?_

"Hyaaaah! My name is Naruto Uzamaki! And I'm gonna beat every one of yah! Believe it!"

Ice jumped, looking over at her rambunctious teammate who was currently pointing at the entire group of ninja and yelling. She was relieved she wasn't too close to him, as she wouldn't be guilty by association. Still, the annoyance and nervousness of his actions came opon her. _Dammit! Naruto, stop it! Please, meh!_

Ice's heart skipped a beat as she spotted Kankurō and Gaara in the crowd. _Oh dear Hokage no... Oh nooooooooooooo..._

But as she looked closer, she saw that Kankurō looked, scared, afraid. So did his blonde teammate. Gaara... She couldn't read him. She could see no emotion in his eyes or body, though she felt a dark presence radiating off of him.

Suddenly, something passed her by, a blur moving too fast to catch, leaving a slight breeze. Ice looked up, catching glimpses of _something_ , her tail fur standing an end and her ears erect. A sinking feeling crawled in her gut. _Wha?_

There was a sudden ringing in her ears, accompanied by a harsh pain. Ice gasped and clutched her head, shaking it and backing into the wall. At the same time, a ninja with nearly his entire head wrapped in bandages, save one of his eyes, and a headband with the symbol of the hidden sound village attacked Kabuto, missing by only a few centimeters. Kabuto smiled, until his glasses shattered and he collapsed to the floor, vomiting and shaking.

"Wait, I saw it all, he dodged the attack! How did that happen?" Sasuke asked.

Ice looked over, still holding her ears. _Owww... What happened!? He didn't even attack me?_

She stumbled a bit closer, her hearing not as good now that her ears were damaged. Naruto and Sakura ran to Kabuto's side.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Kabuto answered.

The ninja who attacked him, as well as two more who's headbands held the same symbol, stood over him, smiling.

"Well, not such a tough guy, I guess. Maybe that's why he's on his seventh try."

"Write this down on your little info cards, punk. The Genin of the sound village will be Chunin when this is over!"

Sasuke glared at them, his mind whirling. _I don't get it. He saw their attack in time to evade it. But it made him fall apart..._

He looked over as Ice stumbled beside him, holding her ears. Shock slipped onto his face as he noticed a tiny drop of red trickling out of her ear.

"Ice! What happened to you?" He asked briskly. Ice shook her head, swaying on her feet slightly, acting as if she never heard him.

"Ice?! Answer me!" He demanded, adding to this a slight flick to the shoulder. Ice flinched and looked over at him.

"Sa-sasuke?"

"Answer my question. what happened to you?"

Ice rubbed at her head, blinking.

"I don't know... My ears just started hurting bad and my hearing dulled..." Her voice was quiet and scared, and she looked as if on the edge of panic.

Sasuke sighed, his anger fizzling away. _There had to be something more to that attack. If Ice was affected by it... Did it have something to do with sound?_

"Are you going to be okay, mutt?" Sasuke asked the question with a teasing tone, but it still held some real concern.

"I think so..."

Ice gazed into the Uchiha's onyx eyes, feeling like she was looking at an entirely different person. She saw concern, excitement, worry, pain, loneliness, and so many different things she could not describe. Sasuke held her gaze for a moment before looking away, uncomfortable. There was something different about her, something _piercing_ , and he didn't like it.

A sudden cloud of smoke burst into the air, clouding up the front of the classroom. A commanding voice rang through the room.

"Alright, you baby faced degenerates, pipe down and listen up!"

Ice jumped a few feet into the air- jump scared for the umpteenth time that day- making Sasuke's frown curl up in the ghost of a smile. _One day that mutt is going to jump through the roof. It's pathetic._

The smoke cleared, revealing several older ninja. The one in the front, however, stood out the most. He was unusually tall, with a black cloak and two scars on his face, one across his left cheek, the other going from the corner of his eye to his mouth. He wore a cap that hid any hair he may have had.

"It's time to begin. I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor. And from this moment, your worst enemy."

* * *

 **I'm following episode pattern with this one. Yeah, I know, but I have to work on my other story! I had planned on going farther with this chapter, but... Isn't staying up till 6:02 AM good enough for you guys? XD Do you think letting Ice see emotions like she does in this chapter a little too much? Wolves have the ability to read emotions and pick up signs from each other with profound efficiency. There was one experiment where they had a group of wolves and had each of them do a little puzzle to get a treat, and after the first one figured it out, the rest did it in one try, because they watched and picked up the fact that "oh, you do that, you get food. I got to do that so I get food!" Oh boy, here comes my nerd. By the way, I love the nerd candies. My point is, I want Ice to have the ability to see more then a normal human, as she is an outsider looking in. I just don't want to to turn into Mary Sueish. And yes, she does have the ability to have a temper. She wouldn't lose her temper on someone like, say, Sakura would, due to her shyness and anxiety, but she can get annoyed. another thing, I'm leaving it to you to find out who pushed Ice! There are clues! (Has to due with a certain character getting amused by certain actions and reactions. May be a little OOC for said character.)**

 **I seem to have a thing with wolves. Personality and appearance wise, my two OC's differ a lot, and in portrayal they are pretty different as well, but I have been noticing similarities between them because they both have a wolfish thing. Gizmo is a genetic hybrid of Cats, Wolves, and Humans and Ice is a... Can't say much else or spoils! Gizmo's wolf form is a large, black wolf and... Well, Ice was a black wolf. If you want to know more about what Ice is and about different spoiler related stuff, just PM me! You could wait for the story, but at the pace I'm going, you might as well go order a tombstone because this is going to take** _ **forever**_ **. That only applies if anyone is still reading... I can dream, Harold! (Yay! References!)** 💺~


	12. Chapter 11

**Welp, here's another horrible chapter! I'm gonna say Sasuke is OOC. I'll get it back in line eventually, but I just realized how OOC he is. He's gonna end up being slightly OOC, either way. I think he has a little wiggle** **room at this point, as he isn't as much into revenge and Naruto and blah :b but after the thing with Gaara, there isn't any room for him to change a little, as he is thrown back into his** _ **totally**_ **healthy revenge, hate, kill logic. This is just my view on things. OOCness will die out by the time he leaves the village. For now, we have a lighter Sasuke...Not like I didn't already mess it up. :D**

 **Boy, Ice has some stuff to get through. I'm planning it all out, and it's gonna get good! Poor Icy though. But it's required! No trouble and pain for you, you can be considered a Mary Sue!**

 **Ice:... That's not very nice...**

 **Gizmo:You damn be flattered, princess. I would love to be considered bloody perfect. In my fandom there aren't as many critics to whet my appetite.**

 **Ice:I don't think I am... Naruto s** **ays** _ **he's**_ **perfect. There can be only one...**

 **Gizmo: Tell that annoying asshat to go suck a d.**

 **Now now, Gizmo. behave. Enough of my lame attempts at comedy, onto the story!**

 **Gizmo: You will laugh at me and like it! I am- ooooooooh, cookie!~**

 **(Final note, I know who Temari is. Ice and team 7, however, do not. So please don't flame me for not knowing who she is XD)**

* * *

"It's time to begin. I'm Ibiki Morino, you're proctor. And from this moment, your worst enemy."

Ice shivered as the scary looking ninja stared in her direction, mindlessly backing into Sasuke.

"Grrr... Get off!"

Ice took a few steps forward, looking at Sasuke pitifully. _He's mean... I think he's upset about something..._

"First..." Their new proctor pointed to the sound ninja who attacked Kabuto.

"You candidates from the village hidden in the sound! Knock it off! Who told you you could fight?! You want to be failed before we've even begun?!"

The sound ninja with the long hair and bandaged head turned to face the ninja proctor. "Sorry. It's our first time. We're a little jumpy... Sir." The ninja's voice was calm and quiet, yet still left Ice with the feeling he would slit her throat later and shove her body in a vent.

Ibiki smirked, and Ice was hit with an ominous sense of déjà vu. _I... He looks familiar... That smile... He kinda reminds me of the guy who asked me a whole bunch of questions when I first came here..._

The proctors smile faded as he looked around the room sternly. "I'm only going to say this once, so listen up. There will be no combat between candidates- no attacking each other without permission from your proctor. And even then, the use of fatal force is strictly prohibited. And anyone who even _thinks_ of messing with me will be disqualified immediately, got it?"

Ibiki's gaze was harsh and controlled, like two beacons of fire that burned to the very core of one's mind. Ice couldn't see past his guarded strictness, and wondered if he really was as tough as he seemed. _Meh... I wouldn't put it past this guy. He's definitely an Alpha._

Ice was dismayed when some ninja looked _disappointed_ and the rule that they could not use "fatal force." Technically speaking, they were upset because they couldn't kill whoever. Ice gulped, grabbing the edge of her shirt and rubbing it with her thumb.

The ninja behind Ibiki showed amusement to this, and Ice realized most of them looked too young to be Jounin.

"Now, if we're ready, we'll proceed too the first stage of the Chunin exam. Hand up your paper work. In return." The proctor held up a little, square sheet of paper with a one written on it in black marker. "You'll each be given a number. This number will determine where you will sit. We'll start the written test once you are all seated."

Ice flinched at the thought of a written test, but was also somewhat relived. _I'm bad at stuff like that, but I can always cheat, just like I did whenever I was in a jam back at the academy... I think? Oh, poor Naruto... I know he isn't good at this stuff either..._

True to Ice's suspicions, Naruto looked unhappy.

"What? Did he say... Written?"

A ninja behind Ibiki with wild black hair lifted up a stack of papers, smirking.

Naruto began shouting and freaking out. This further fueled Ice's uneasiness. _If Naruto's scared... Oh well. I can... Get past this! Whatever I do, it won't affect the others, and I'm good at cheating._

Sasuke pushed past her, walking towards the mess of ninja who apparently didn't understand the concept of a line. Ice decided to hang back, waiting till most of the ninja had dispersed to find their seats before moving forward. She caught site of Kiyo, who winked and waved her way.

Ice felt the corners of her mouth turn slightly. _There's something about that guy..._

She approached Ibiki and the other ninja cautiously, and handed over her paperwork tentatively. She was made painfully aware how Ibiki _towered_ over her, and how small she really was. She took a number and a test and got away quickly, feeling the amused gazes of the higher ninja burning into her back. _Hmm... I got 60... So that puts me..._

Ice found the seat that carried her number and sat down in it, nervous. She nearly jumped when she saw a familiar bowl-haired and green jumpsuit teen next to her.

 _Oh great... Him... Is his weirdo sensei around? No? Okay, it's fine. As long as he isn't around..._

Lee didn't even notice her, to her relief. Ice reached into her pocket and pulled out her bag of jerkey, chewing on a piece.

"What do we have here?"

Ice yelped as the bag was swept out of her hand in the blink of an eye. She looked up at the culprit ninja- one of the ninja who came with Ibiki. He turned it over, inspecting it.

"I'll be taking this. Nothing personal, only following the rules."

Choji, who was a few rows ahead, stiffened and quickly shoved his bag of chips under the table. Ice didn't protest, looking down and shrinking into her seat. _Screw you... That was mean... Not to mention everyone's looking at me now... Why me?! And my ears still hurt!_

The room quieted as everyone found their seats and sat down, looking expectantly at Ibiki. Ice played around with one of the two green pencils she was given until Ibiki tapped the chalkboard with a thick piece of chalk and began talking.

"Everyone, eyes front. There are a few rules you need to be aware of. And I won't answer any questions, so you better pay attention the first time around!"

 _Not like I'd ask anyway._ Ice thought bitterly.

Ibiki began writing on the board. "The first rule is this. The written part of the exam is conducted on a point reduction system. Contrary to what some of you may be used to, you all begin the test with the perfect score of ten points. One point will be deducted for each answer you get wrong. So if you miss three, your final score will be seven."

Ibiki turned, finished writing on the chalk board. Ice didn't even bother reading the words- she could hardly concentrate anyway.

"Rule number two- teams will pass or fail based on the total score of all three- or four- members."

Ice cringed. _Aw, no! Meh?! That means I have to do good! Or else... I guess what I do does affect my teammates._

"What!? Wait a second!? You mean we all get scored as a team!?" Sakura yelled, allowing Ice to pinpoint her location several rows in front of her.

"Silence! I have my reasons. So shut up and listen! Rule number three- the sentinels you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating."

Ice wanted to wail like a newborn pup. _No! Why me!? My only way of... Wait, why are there so many?_ Ice gazed at the multiple, mean looking ninja who sat on either side of the room glaring at them.

"And for every incident they spot, two points will be deducted from the culprit score. Be warned, they're eyes are extremely sharp. And if they catch you five times, you will be dismissed before the tests are even scored."

Ice's mind was buzzing with questions she didn't have the guts to voice. _Why not be dismissed the first time? And why put so much pressure to not cheat? Ugh, my head hurts already..._

"Anyone fool enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here."

The ninja with the messy black hair smirked even wider. "I've got my eye on you guys."

Ice looked away, shivering.

"If you want to be considered Shinobi, then show us what exceptional Shinobi you can be." Ibiki said, with a daring look in his eyes.

 _Show them... What exceptional Shinobi we can be? Anyone fool enough... Hmmm..._

"One more thing! If any candidate is to get a zero and fail the test, then the entire team fails."

 _Oh boy... Meh... I'm almost certainly screwed... And Naruto too... Maybe I can get away with cheating, but I don't think he can..._

"The tenth question won't be given out till fifteen minutes before the end of the testing period. You'll have one hour total. Begin!"

Ice flipped her test over, taking a deep breath and hoping for a miracle.

 _Okay... The first one looks like... Okay, too complicated. Next... Line B in the diagram... What does this even mean!? I know I'm not good at this stuff, but I don't even habe the slightest understanding of these! How can anyone solve these?!_

There was another thing that bothered her. It seemed like Ibiki was daring them to cheat. And with the difficult problems, Ice didn't really have much room to do otherwise. But, glancing over at the ninja sentinels sitting around the room who watched their every move, it seemed impossible to cheat. Ice was confident in her ability to gather info- as she was never caught in the academy- but she was also confident she would fail if done through her normal means. With her sharp eyes and ears, she had always been able to hear and see more then the other ninja, and could peak at a test ahead of her or hear someone whispering to themselves. But, with the tense silence and the sentries watching, she was stuck.

 _Dammit... I can't even guess these... Damn! I'm screwed! I'm going to fail and drag the others down with me!_

Ice started picking apart the eraser in agitation before movement caught the corner of her eye. She looked over at Lee- being careful not to accidentally glance at his paper and risk being caught- to see him move his headband from his waist to his head. Ice shrugged it off as nothing until she noticed he was staring intently at the ceiling. Following his eyes, she saw a piece of glass that was hanging by the light, light reflecting off of it's surface. But the light wasn't the only thing reflecting off of it.

 _Answers! I see answers! Wait, is this a trick?_

Ice surveyed her surroundings, trying to see if the sentinels noticed. But they didn't even glance at the glass. _They must not be able to see it from where they are. Even I can only see a few. The only one with a perfect view is... Lee!_

It clicked in place like a puzzle. Lee must have had something set up, or had one of his teammates set it up. Ice felt hope rise like steam from a tea kettle.

 _Yes! I lucked out, sitting next to this guy! Maybe things are going my way after all!_

Ice grabbed a pencil and quickly copied down what she could see, before something else went wrong.

Sasuke- who sat a little ways away- was in deep thought. The questions were too difficult for even him, the top of his class in the academy. He glared at the sentinels, suspicious.

 _It's strange. They make more of a fuss then they do about the test itself. These sentinels... Watching our every move... Trying to catch wh-_

The sentinel Sasuke was currently glaring at, a ninja with blank white eyes, suddenly started scribbling something down on his clipboard.

 _Someone just got nailed. That's another thing. Why only a two point deduction? It doesn't make sense. Ordinarily, if someone's caught cheating even once, that's grounds for dismissal right there..._

Then it hit him. What if they were supposed to cheat?

 _Hah, so that's it. Yeah, that's gotta be it! This is about more then the written exam. The real aim is not to test our knowledge, but our ability to gather information. Yeah, that explains everything. Eagle eyed sentinels everywhere, these incredibly difficult questions, the fact that only two points are deducted for each incident of cheating. Very clever... But ninja must see through deception. He's not actually forbidding us to cheat, he's expecting us to. He's daring us to cheat and not get caught. Only exceptional Shinobi could get away with it under these circumstances. And that's just what he's looking for. I wonder how many of the others realized that's what this test is all about...come on Naruto... You can figure it out! Use your head before it's too late! Use your head!_

Sasuke glared at Naruto so hard that if he could burn holes with his eyes, the blonde haired ninja would be nothing but a pile of ashes. He could see the once over excited teen was trembling sightly. Then he glanced at Sakura, and then Ice.

 _Sakura should be able to figure it out... Even then, she should be able to answer them anyways. Ice... She should be able to figure it out too, but I have a feeling she would be cheating regardless._

A kunai knife went slashing through the air, burying itself deep into the table in front of one of the candidates an older teen with brown hair and a green shirt. The ninja jumped, as well as a few around him. Ice yelped- even though she wasn't near the ninja- and almost fell out of her chair.

"What the... What was that all about?" The frightened teen asked, standing up. One of the sentinels, the one that threw the knife, smiled mischievously.

"Five strikes and you're out. You just failed the test."

"What? It can't be..."

"You and your teammates will leave the room immediately!"

Two other ninja stood up with crossed and disappointed looks on their faces. The teen who got caught started trembling, his voice choked and looking like it was the end of the world.

Ice was sympathetic _Poor guy... He's gonna have it rough... But..._ She looked around at the sentinels, who were either jotting something down on their boards or looking at the candidates who just got busted.

 _Looks like it's my chance... While they're distracted!_

Ice looked over at Lee's test as fast as she could, memorizing the answer to number three before turning and writing it down on her paper quickly. Looking back at the sentinels, she heaved a sigh of relief.

 _I wasn't caught, and I got another answer! And I overheard Akamaru giving Kiba answers too, so I'm only missing two answers! I should be good! Thank the great Hokage's grandmother I lucked out!_

Although the sentinels hadn't seen Ice cheat, Sasuke did. He smirked slightly. _Just as I thought. Sneaky little bastard. Now... If I can find someone who is writing down answers, I can use my Sharnigan to copy their movements... Hn._

Ice decided that seven out of nine was good enough and the last two answers weren't worth risking her pelt over. She scratched behind her ear before starting to pick apart e eraser that she was given, before realizing she probably shouldn't do that. Many more participants were called out for cheating and failed, so many Ice lost count after the first ten or so teams were dismissed. She even noticed when four members where called out instead of three. _Another team of four! From the sand village. Meh. I don't think one of the other rookie teams or Kiyo were called out yet. I hope Kiyo passes! And I guess the other rookies would be nice... At least Kiba's team. And speaking of Kiba, Kiyo asked me if I was an Inuzuka! I guess I can see the resemblance, because they are dog users and have pointy fangs... I should think about learning more about them... Maybe they will understand me more..._

Ice's mind kept on going to random places, from _why_ Sasuke was chased around by all the girls to that annoying orange cat that Ice chased whenever it came into view.

"Alright! Listen up! Here's the tenth and final question!"

Ice was frightened by Ibiki's voice, and by now time flew past her. The room was looking empty compared to when the test first started. _So many people got failed already..._

"But... Before I give you the question... There are some more rules you need to be aware of."

The door to the classroom opened, revealing Kankurō and a sentinel. _Awww great, him... Wait, why was he out?_

Ibiki glared at him with a strange light in in his eye. "Ah. Made it just in time. I hope you found your trip to the bathroom _enlightening_."

Kankurō stiffened at that, looking a little nervous. Ice felt no sympathy. _Serves that jerk right. I hope he gets kicked out! Meh, I shouldn't think like that but... But he tried to start a fight! And he's mean! And scary... I guess I can have a few exceptions._ When Ice looked at Kankurō closely, she could see he was very scared of _something_ , but it didn't matter to her. She just had the feeling that she didn't like him, and never would like him.

"Well, take your seat." Ibiki ordered.

Kankurō obliged, moving to sit back down in his seat.

"These rules are unique to question ten. Listen carefully... And try not to let them frighten you."

 _Saying that is just going to get me more frightened... And he's scary. Really... Just like... It is him! That guy who asked me a whole bunch of questions when I first came here to make sure I wasn't a spy! That interrogation and torture guy... But I thought his name was Zucchini?_

"Very well then! Rule number one, each of you is free to chose not to be given the final question. It's your decision."

Ice looked up in surprise. _Why... Would we chose not to?_

"Woah!? So what's the catch? Let's say we don't want to do it? What then?!" The blonde haired girl from Gaara and Kankurō's team asked.

"If you chose not to be given the final answer, regardless of your answers on the other nine, you get a zero. In other words, you fail. And that means your other teammates fail as well."

"But why would anyone drop out now?" Ice whispered to herself. Everyone else was asking questions to each other and no one in particular, confused and lost.

"Not so fast..." Ibiki continued. "You didn't let me finish. If you to accept to be given the question and answer it incorrectly... You will not only fail... You will be barred from taking the Chunin exams ever again!"

"Meh?!" Ice said, far more loudly then she would have wanted. She flinched when Ibiki's gaze turned to her. Luckily, Kiba came to her rescue.

"What? That's bull, man!" Kiba stood up boldly, pointing at the proctor.

"What kind of bogus rule is that? There's lots of people here who have taken the test before!" Akamaru barked in agreement.

Ibiki started laughing. First, it was a few controlled chuckles. Then it turned to heavier, smug chuckles.

"I guess you're just... Unlucky. I wasn't making the rules before. But I am now! Of course, if you don't want to take it, you don't have to. If you're not feeling confident, then by all means, skip it. You can come back and try again next year. "

 _No no no! No! This can't be... Happening... It's either... If I get it wrong, I can't become Chunin! But... If I back out... The others... It's either my own hide, or theirs. Which resolve outweighs the other? In any other situation, I would abandon my own hide, but... The stakes are so high... If my ninja career stops here, what is my reason? What's my reason to be here, alive? It's... No. I can't give in. If I give in... I hurt Sasuke. My team. My pack!_

Ice took a deep breath, looking at her reflection in the window.

 _The question remains... What am I? Am I wolf or human? Just a thing or something more? Are they really my friends... My pack... Or am I just stupid and delusional? I don't... Know what too do... I feel so helpless..._

Kiyo's words echoed in her head, floating like leaves down a never ending river.

 _"Honestly, my teammates wouldn't give a damn if I was ripped to a bloody mess. So I give them that back."_

 _Would they care? Is my loyalty... In the right place?_

Ice remembered Sakura's coldness, the way she felt like nothing beside Naruto. And the way Sasuke often stared at her- like she was pathetic and not even worth his time.

 _But..._

She was also reminded of the way Sakura sometimes tried to start up conversation with her. The way Naruto smiled and asked her carefree questions. When Kakashi had said they _all_ were worried about her. And the times when Sasuke dropped his glare, when he just sat there quietly, when she got a glimpse of the Sasuke she knew when she was a wolf pup. And the time he was looking for his kunai knife when she was talking about the stars crept back to mind as well, oddly.

 _I think... My loyalty is well placed. I think I can trust them. Especially Sasuke. I know he's still in there, the Sasuke I used to know! I know he isn't as tough as he seems! Now that I think... Was he really looking for a kunai knife, or am I just gullible?_

Ice looked up with a new resolve. _I won't quit... Even if my career as a ninja is at stake! You know, Naruto... I think your 'never give up' nature is rubbing off on pathetic old me. Meh._

"Now then... The tenth and final question... Those who don't want to take it, raise your hand! Your number will be recorded, then you're free to go."

There was a tense silence after Ibiki's words- a heavy, pressing atmosphere that would have crushed Ice, had she not found a new confidence. It was still unnerving, though.

"I'm out. That's it, I'm out!"

The ninja seated next to Naruto raised his hand, standing up.

"I just can't do it! I'm sorry."

"Number fifty, fail! Number one thirty, number one ten, that means you're out too." One of the sentinels announced.

"Genai... Inoho... I'm sorry..." The ninja apologized shamefully.

As the three ninja exited the room, many more raised their hands, quitting and leaving. Ice was dismayed.

 _Do all these ninja really have to regard for their team? Are they really that... Selfish?!_

She didn't pay attention to it at first, but Naruto's hand was slowly, forcefully, going up. By the time she saw, it was all the way up, trembling.

 _What?! Naruto... Your... Giving up?_

Naruto suddenly slammed his hand on the table.

"Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You guys can act all tough, but you can't scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life, I'll still be Hokage someday!"

Ice smiled and nodded. _Yes! That's the Naruto I know! He never gives up... Believe it? Meh, I'll stick to my own phrase, meh! He may be determined but he's still weird._

Movement caught Ice's eye, and when she looked, she saw Kiyo waving his hand. When he saw her looking at him, he pointed at Naruto and made a 'cookoo' sign with his other finger.

Ice had to stop a laugh. _Yup. Insane. All humans are, really. Except Kiyo. He's awesome!_

Ibiki looked them all over, examining them.

"Well then! I admire your determination! For those of you left, there's only one thing left to do... And that's for me to tell you... That you've all past the first exam!"

* * *

 **I'm sorry, I just had to end it there. My tablet only has three percent power left! And... I just thought it sounded cool to end there... Meow :3 I found Ice saying... Believe it... Funny. Because in my head, she says it all weird and unsure, and it's just funny! You get to see more into Ice's mind in this chapter, and I hope that makes people like her more!**

 **If your interested, I made a crossover of this and my other major fic, Kid Icarus Crystal Uprising. I'll be uploading it at the same time as this chapter. I doubt anyone reading this wants to, though. It sucks as is! But Gizmo is really hilarious, and if you want a laugh, check it out!**

 **Gizmo: I am not your comedian!**

 **Kiyo: Hi! It's me! I'm just gonna say reviews and criticism are very well appreciated! If it's not to much trouble, drop one by and tell magical author person what you think and what you'd like to see! Your gonna see more of me, Believe it!**

 **Naruto:hey, stop stealing my line! I don't even know you?! I'm better, so I get to say believe it! Believe it!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Wow, it's been awhile. I thought that I would have more time with school coming around, but I now have less time! At least I'm slightly smarter… Maybe XD. I have been noticing my drawings have been getting way better, and I wondered if that's true for my writing. I have been writing some stuff, like a new FNaF fanfiction. And a warrior cats fic. But I put this to the side, partly due to not having the episodes anymore after my NEW tablet broke and partly due to being to tired to write anything good. This has been on my list forever, and I hope to now have a consistent schedule.**

 **Also note that the chapter where Ice and Sasuke go shopping does not occur. I am thinking about taking it down, or replacing it with another one-shot. I wanted to keep it up because I was stupid and wrote it without noticing any mistakes and I wanted to punish myself XD.**

 **Now onto the story! Sorry if it is a bit sloppy, I have to get back into my 'Naruto space.'**

 **This is just a funny, short chapter to help me get going. Hope it's funny!**

* * *

The sunset was sending deep shades of red and orange across the sky. The air was getting colder and a breeze was picking up, sending leaves spiraling across the ground. Ice watched them dance, laying belly down on a branch in her tree. She was calmer then she thought she should be. Especially with the second part of the exam coming up.

 _Forest of death…_

That's what Kiyo said the next part of the exam was called. The next part of the exam was to start tomorrow. It was like a survival test. Kiyo said he knew someone who had gotten through it. It involved some scrolls and a harsh forest.

 _I'm decent in forests! At least in a forest I can jump and hide. And I know that I'm decent with wilderness stuff…_

"Hey! Ice!"

Ice jumped up and shrank back into the leaves of the branch. She saw a flash of orange between the leaves. _Naruto?_

"I know you're up there, believe it! I need your help with something."

"…what?" Ice jumped down from the tree and slowly walked towards the blonde teen.

"So… I want to get some blackmail."

"What's blackmail?"

"It's when you get something to use against someone. Like, an embarrassing picture or something that would get the person in trouble. And I need some blackmail to use against Sasuke. So… I need your help." Naruto smiled mischievously.

"Why would you do that?" Ice asked.

"Reasons. Now, I want to get a funny picture of him." Naruto held up a camera.

Ice looked at in wonder. It resembled the things that the ninja academy used to take a picture of her. "Whoa. How did you get that?"

"I… Uh… Borrowed it from Iruka sensei. Don't tell him!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"Why not?"

"Do you want me to get in trouble?!"

"Oh, I see… It's blackmail, then?"

"What! No… Just listen." Naruto leaned in, placing his hand by his mouth. " I need you to help get Sasuke in a funny position. Kakashi told me something that might work, but I won't be able to get close enough to make it work. Here's what I need you to do…"

…

Ice watched from the bushes as Sasuke hit a log repeatedly with Kunai. The Uchiha was training, even at sunset. Sweat beaded his forehead. Ice moved closer, nervously. Naruto's directions echoed through her head.

 _Ugh, I hope he doesn't kill me… Why am I doing this? Is the candy worth it?_

Ice moved steadily closer, soundlessly, stealthily. The Uchiha didn't notice the wolf girl sneaking up on him in his focused target training. Once she was close enough, she leaped forward and grabbed the dark haired ninja by his under-arms.

"What! Wh-Ice?! What are you-"

Ice began moving her fingers back and forth, just like Naruto had showed her. Sasuke let out a strange, stressed noise and started squirming.

"S-stop it… Now… Before… I-I can't…ICE!"

Sasuke began trying to desperately conceal laughter. Ice blinked, surprised. It actually worked?

"Please…. Ha! Please stop… Dammit…"

"I'm sorry. Naruto is making me do this…" Ice knew he would be furious once she stopped. She regretted her whole life now. _Not like I'll have it much longer, he will kill me and then kill me again!_

"Ah.. Stop… Ha stop… Before… I kill y-ou… NOW!"

Ice looked at the bushes, hoping Naruto got what he wanted, then stopped. Sasuke jerked around, startling Ice and sending her to the ground. The Uchiha's cheeks had the slightest pink to them, which was very unusual. _Did I make him sick?_

Sasuke bent down and grabbed the headband wrapped around Ice's neck, tugging hard.

"I'm sorry!"

"Why. The. Hell. Would. You. Do. That!"

"Naruto made me! I swear!" Ice whined.

"… What did he do to make you do this!?"

Sasuke's onyx eyes seemed to blaze with anger. That's when Ice noticed the Uchiha's face was just a few inches too close.

 _Meh… He's very close… I feel weird. And I don't like it!_

Her heartbeat was fast yet light, and she felt oddly warm. Too close!

Sasuke's anger turned to confusion. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

A click echoed through the air. Sasuke flinched, looking in the direction of the sound. Ice, amazingly, didn't flinch in her daze and slowly looked towards the bushes.

"Hahaha! This is even better then what I expected! You can just imagine how Sakura will react! This is the best! Sasuke and Ice, sitting on the ground, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Haha!"

"You dobe! That is not what was happening! Now give me that damn picture!" Sasuke's eyes went red with the Sharingan.

"…..huh?" Ice stared at Naruto with wide green eyes. Her cheeks still burned.

"Oh, sure it wasn't. Sure looks it! Oh, I can't wait to show Kakashi sensei!"

"You aren't showing anyone!" Sasuke suddenly rocketed towards Naruto. The blonde yelped and quickly fled.

"Hey, where's the caramel candy you promised me!?" Ice yelled, getting up and following the two. I did not just go through that for nothing, meh!

"Naruto! Where is my camera!"

"Not Iruka too!"

 **Lol, that is funny XD it's short because like I said, I need to get back in the mood. I tried my best to keep Sasuke Sasuke, but I probably failed, didn't I? Lol oh well, yolo, right? By the way, trivia- Ice's favorite candy is caramel candies. The kind you suck on. I'm crazy for caramel, but I hate lollipops and things you suck on.**

 **Kiyo: Hey, Yo, it's Kiyo! Leave a review if you have time! I need some extra cash, so… Please?**

 **Killer Bee: Yo, learn to rhyme, yo!**

 **Gizmo: you both suck. Get a life, deadbeats.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Note: I got an update and autocorrect was acting funky. I apologize if there are any errors, such as words being words they are not supposed to be! Please point any errors out to me if you have the time. I have read through the best I could but I suck at noticing errors!**

🍥 **Hope you all had a good Halloween! (for those who had it.) I was dressed up as Foxy from FNaF XD**

 **I have been going around and reviewing other people's fanfictions! I'm seeing plenty of good stuff, and I'm seeing more OC centered fanfics. I hope all those authors the best of luck! The OC's in the Naruto fandom have gotten a bad impression because of a few notoriously bad stories, and I hope that you all flourish against the odds! I suck XD lol.**

 **For those of you here for the romance, I have some stuff planned out XD not yet, though. Still have many chapters to go. Be warned if you are here only for romance, you may be disappointed by the end of this (and beginning of planned sequel).**

 **Once again, I ramble forever lol. Here is the chapter that I guess approximately 3.4 people are waiting for :3 (another note, I put out a lot of explanation so you may be slightly confused if you have not watched or read this part of the series.)**

* * *

"Welcome to the stage for the second exam, practice area 44. Also known as the "forest of death."

Ice looked- open mouthed- at a tall, gate protected forest. The trees were dark and gigantic, with wide branches and thick trunks. The mesh gate that surrounded the forest was tall and reflected the glint of the sunlight. Ice could smell a strong smell of rotted leaves.

"You'll soon learn why it's called the forest of death…" Anko- the proctor for the second exam said with a mischievous tone. Ice shivered slightly. _I don't like that…_

…

Ice stared blankly at the piece of paper in her hand. Sasuke sat a distance away from her, signing his signature on the sheet of paper. The Uchiha had been keeping his distance and throwing her funny looks since first thing that morning. Ice also felt… Weird. Embarrassed. For some reason, she didn't know why. She felt lots of things that she didn't understand, but by far this bothered her the most.

The test was simple, yet complex on the same note. Each team had to bring two scrolls, one with the symbol for heaven and another with the symbol for earth, to a tower in the middle of area 44. Each team was given one scroll, and had to fight other teams to receive another scroll. They had a minimum of five days to complete the assignment, and it was impossible for all teams to succeed.

The paper was meant as a means of saying Anko wasn't responsible for death or disability. Ice was desperately hoping it was a means of scaring them and not a taste of things to come.

Ice reached into her pocket for a pencil, only to feel empty fabric. _Crap baskets._

Ice scanned the surrounding ground for a pencil or other writing utensil. _Oh no… How to sign? Will I not be able to participate? What do I do?! Sh-_

Ice felt something hit the side of her head. She shrieked and rolled over. A pencil lay on the ground where her "attacker" should have been.

"…"

"… Are you going to use it or stare at it, idiot."

Ice looked up to see Sasuke staring at her with his arms crossed. He looked away.

"…"

"It won't hurt you."

"… Are you sure?"

"Yes, damn it!"

Ice flinched and slowly grabbed the pencil, her eyes never shifting from it. She signed her name on the form, then threw the pencil to the ground and moved away from it. Sasuke placed his palm over his face.

"Oh great Hokage, you are absolutely the most pathetic existence in the world of Shinobi."

Sasuke stood up, brushing dirt off of his white shorts. Ice looked at the covered booth were they would get the scroll.

"Do we go and get a scroll now?" Ice asked, still on the ground.

"No. We have to wait for dobe and Sakura." Sasuke replied.

"I see Sakura fighting with Ino over there."

"Big surprise. I'm surrounded by idiots."

"You are?"

"Shut up."

"…"

"Hey Ice! And Mr. Superiority complex."

Ice turned towards the friendly voice, instantly smiling. "Hi Kiyo!"

Saskue's eye was twitching. "Mr. What?"

"Hey, calm it, man. Just joking." Kiyo jumped over a rock and landed besides Ice. Her tail thumped happily.

"So, I'm surprised your not dying of anxiety right now." Kiyo said teasingly.

"I think I'll do ok. I'm good in the woods!"

Sasuke was twitching violently. "Hey!"

"What's a superiority complex, anyways?"

"It's when someone acts all high and mighty to hide the fact they failed at life."

"Who the hell are you?!"

Ice looked over at a very pissed Uchiha. _Why is he so mad? He's scary…_

"Oh, sorry! I'm Kiyomori. Just call me Kiyo! Hey… Are you ok? Your eyes are red…"

A drop of sweat ran down Kiyo's forehead as he experienced the Uchiha's signature death stare.

"Sasuke… You're scary…" Ice whined, shuffling away from him.

"Go away, now, or I will rip you apart limb by limb and burn you into a tiny pile of ashes."

Kiyo chuckled nervously.

"Heh… I… Ummm… Good luck, Ice. See yah!"

"Bye Kiyo."

"Go die in a ditch!"

Kiyo hurried away, fading into the crowd of ninja.

"I'm going to find the other idiots." Sasuke mumbled before walking into the crowd. Ice watched him go with wide green eyes.

 _I have never seen him like that before… Why does he not like Kiyo? Kiyo's awesome! Meh…_

Ice stood up, her tail swishing a few times.

 _What?!_

Suddenly her senses screamed at her. The fur on her tail stood on end and her ears stood stiff as a board. A cold dread caused her stomach to twist.

Ice turned slowly, shaking with fear. A tall ninja, a ninja from the hidden Grass village, was staring dead at her with dark, knowing eyes. The ninja's face was shrouded in shadow from the rim of the hat she wore. Something seemed… Off. Like the ninja wasn't real, but still real at the same time.

The ninja smiled, a long, unnatural tongue licking thin lips. The ninja then moved towards the scroll booth.

 _I… I know that ninja… I don't know how… But I feel… whatever that is, it's not human._

...

Team 7 stood at their gate, waiting for the second stage to begin. Naruto stretched in preparation, while Sasuke stood off the the side with a calculating frown (surprise). All of Ice's previous confidence had melted away (no pun intended.) and was replaced by an overpowering fear. Those dark eyes had burned a hole into her very core, refusing to leave her alone. It was almost impossible to keep her tail from going between her legs.

"Let the second exam… Begin!"

Ice could hear the collective _swish_ Of countless ninja jumping with deadly speed. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto all ran into the forest and began jumping from branch to branch, and Ice followed closely behind.

Upon entering the forest, Ice could sense many predators lurking in the shadows. They didn't seem to be super aggressive, analyzing the ninja from the darkest corners and the safety of the tangled undergrowth.

 _It's important to get some distance from other ninja teams, and be able to control our situation. It's better to attack than to be attacked. That way, we can control who we attack and have a surprise factor._ Ice's ears remained alert. _I have to be able to sense the slightest sound._

They ran for about ten minutes before stopping to move to the ground. Ice didn't like stopping. _We could be attacked this very second._

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a pain filled scream.

Ice stiffened. She could hear screams, three in all, coming from far away. _Oh no…_

Sakura frowned. "That sounds like… A human scream! I'm getting nervous…"

"It's nothing, Sakura." Naruto said with a smile.

 _How can he be so confident, meh? Well… It is Naruto. Maybe there is nothing to worry about._

The image of the grass ninja filled her mind, and she shivered. Sasuke threw her a weird look.

"I… Uh… Gotta go pee!" Naruto blurted suddenly, running towards a tree. Sakura hit him hard in the head.

"Not in front of a lady, you dog! Go do it in the bushes!"

"Sakura… maybe you shouldn't hit him so hard? We don't want injuries before we fight for a scroll…" Ice flinched when Sakura looked at her with rage filled eyes.

"No one asked you!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" Naruto said, holding his head.

"It would be okay if it was Sasuke! Hehe!" Sakura whispered to herself. Ice wished she never heard that.

Leaves rustled. It was very fast, but Ice could hear _something_ move. Ice looked around, her tail sticking out straight and her ears pricked.

"Sasuke… I think something is near…" Ice said softly.

Sasuke's frown became more pronounced.

"Stay on guard. Tell me if you pick up on anything else." Sasuke replied. Sakura looked over at them suspiciously.

"What are you two whispering about?" She said, cracking her knuckles.

Ice was saved by Naruto, who came crashing back to the three other Genin. The second Ice saw him, something seemed off. She didn't know what, but Naruto wasn't… Right. Like something was out of place. Ice didn't know if it was just Naruto being the weirdo he was, or if it was something else.

"Whew, that felt good! So much came out!"

"What did I say! Not In front of a lady, doofus! And-"

Sasuke lunged suddenly, punching Naruto hard in the face. Blood stained the ground as Naruto went crashing into the nearest tree trunk. Ice yelped and took a few steps back.

"Huh?! Sasuke! You didn't have to go that far…" Sakura said with fear in her voice.

Naruto rubbed his cheek. "What the hell do you think you're doing."

"Where's the real Naruto." Sasuke asked coldly.

"What… Are you saying, out of nowhere?" Naruto said. Ice blinked and looked closer. _He's right… That's what was off! It's not Naruto!_

"Your shuriken holster is on your left side. Naruto is right handed. And Naruto had a scratch from the examiner on his cheek. You're a fake loser worse than Naruto at transforming."

"Oh, so you figured it out…" 'Naruto' went up in a cloud of smoke, revealing a mist ninja with a gas mask like mask on his face. Ice snarled and lowered into her fighting stance.

"Where's Naruto!?" She growled in a voice that hid her fear. _What if he's dead or something! They could have slit his throat and be done with it!_

"Which one of you has the scroll!? If you don't tell me… I'll have to take it by force!"

The ninja dashed for Sasuke, Kunai blade ready. Sasuke jumped and preformed multiple rapid hand signs.

"Phoenix flower jutsu!"

Sasuke spit out three balls of fire. The ninja skillfully dodged them all, zigzagging between the, before jumping onto a branch.

Ice jumped onto the nearest branch and circled around, ready to jump in from the shadows if needed.

Sasuke spotted a flash of orange from below him. _Stupid moron_.

He threw a Kunai so that it cut the ropes that held the blonde ninja in place. Naruto said something that got cut off by the rope around his mouth.

As Sasuke landed on the next branch in pursuit of the ninja, he noticed a sizzling sound. He saw the tiny explosion tag just in time before the branch exploded into broken shards of wood.

 _Crap!_

Sasuke jumped and landed a little too hard on the ground. The mist ninja was awaiting him.

"Now this is lucky! Move and I kill you! Hand over your scroll." Sasuke saw a Kunai blade from the corner of his eye. He didn't show it, but his heartbeat sped up a little.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Sasuke!"

Ice started running as fast as she could. _Sasuke!_

A Kunai came hurtling towards the mist ninja, forcing him to jump. Naruto smirked as the mist ninja jumped to avoid it, forgetting about Sasuke. "You aren't getting away!"

Ice shook her head and leaped, hitting the ninja mid air with her shoulder. The mist ninja fell to the ground as she grabbed the nearest tree and clung to it.

Sasuke grabbed the Kunai that Naruto had thrown before and rocketed too the mist ninja, stabbing him hard in his left arm. Blood spurted from the wound and dripped onto Sasuke's face. Ice noticed his Sharingan was activated. _His Sharingan and the blood are… The same color…_

"Sasuke…" Sakura said, still rooted in place.

"Don't just stand there! There may be others around! Relax for one second and you can really die!" Sasuke yelled. The mist ninja pulled away, holding his arm. His eyes widened in fear, and he said something that Ice couldn't hear due to his mask. The mist ninja then fled, jumping from tree to tree and vanishing almost instantly. Sasuke didn't bother to follow him.

"Hey, Ice, do you think there are any more?"

Ice looked around, listening for another sound or looking for just the slightest thing out of place.

"I don't think so… The only thing I'm noticing is a leafback toad over there…"

…

"We can't take any chances. If that happens again, it might just be it for us. I'll make a password. If someone gets it wrong, assume it's an imposter, regardless of what they look like.." Sasuke said, wiping his face with his wrist warmer. Ice leaned in, curious. _Meh. That makes sense! That way we will know if there's and imposter or not. Meh… What's that sound?_

Ice could hear the sound of wind passing through something. Like someone blowing through a straw. Ice looked around for a few seconds before shrugging it off. _Maybe it's an animal. It's not like footsteps or twigs breaking. I don't sense anyone here._

"Listen closely. I'll only say this once. When asked for the password, answer with this. A Shinobi must understand the best time to strike his foe. The best time for a Shinobi to strike is in the dead of night, when his enemy is tired and ill prepared."

"Wait, that's impossible to remember!" Naruto whined.

Sakura sighed. "Are you dumb or something? I memorized it already!"

Ice repeated the phrase nervously in her head. _A Shinobi must understand the best time to strike… Ugh, that sound is so annoying! I can't concentrate… Oh no! A Shinobi must understand the best time to strike… The best-_

"I'll hold the scroll." Sasuke said, grabbing the scroll and putting it in his pocket.

"Hey are you sure this password is the best thing?"

Ice noticed the wind sound had disappeared. _Good! That was so annoying! Now I can…Nnnnnn, what?!_

It was like her ears exploded. There was a soft ringing followed by an uncontrollable pain. Ice grabbed her ears and bit her lip so hard it bled. She fell to the side, moaning.

All three of the other Genin shot to their feet. "More enemies?!" Sasuke yelled before a powerful gust of wind hit, so powerful that the thinner trees came crashing down.

Ice curled into a ball, scared out of her wits. She remained that way, even after the wind had stopped.

"Hey! Ice!"

Ice looked out from her arms, shaking. Sasuke stood a short distance away.

"S-Sasuke?"

"What's the password?!"

Ice stiffened. _What if … I get it wrong?! And my ears hurt…_

She uncurled herself, still holding her ears.

"It's… Ummm… A Shinobi must understand the best time to strike his foe... The best time for a Shinobi to strike is in the dead of night… when his enemy is tired and ill prepared…?" Ice yelped when the Uchiha tensed up. She sighed in relief as he looked over, away from her.

Sakura approached from the rubble, covered in dust.

"Sasuke!"

"Stay away!" Sasuke demanded, holding up a Kunai.

"First, the password."

"Oh, yeah! A Shinobi must understand the best time to strike his foe. The best time for a Shinobi to strike is in the dead of night, when his enemy is tired and ill prepared!"

"Good." Sasuke said, lowering his knife.

Ice scrambled to her knees. Her hand was warm, and when she pulled it away, it had blood on it. She moved her ears and shook her head, shaking whatever blood was left out. She moaned softly in pain. _It hurts…_

"Ouch! Hey, are you guys alright?" Naruto asked in his normal, carefree voice.

"Wait, Naruto. The password."

"Right! A Shinobi must understand the best time to strike his foe. The best time for a Shinobi to strike is in the dead of night, when his enemy is tired and ill prepared!"

Sasuke growled, throwing his Kunai at Naruto. Naruto dodged with an unusual skill.

"Hey!"

Sakura gasped. "Sasuke, he said the password! It's him!"

 _Naruto doesn't move like that… The movement was so fluid and flexible… Like a snake… I don't think it's Naruto…_ Ice growled softly, still clutching her ears.

"So, this someone is good enough to dodge my attacks." Sasuke said darkly.

"What?" Sakura asked.

Naruto smiled. "Impressive that you knew…" The transformed ninja went up in a cloud of smoke. As the smoke cleared, the ninja underneath was very familiar.

 _It's that… Grass ninja, from the before! No! I… Knew… Oh no…_ Ice's pupils turned to slits of coal. A strange, cold throb started from the base of her neck, from the two crescent shaped marks that adorned the two sides of her neck. It wasn't painful, but it was very uncomfortable. Like something was trying to push its way out of her skin. It also felt like her teeth began to grow longer and sharper in her mouth. _Why… Do I feel like this!? Why?! Hurrrr… I'm scared… What's wrong with me?!_

"How did you know I was a fake?" The grass ninja asked.

Sasuke huffed, like the answer was clear as day. "I knew you were listening to our conversation from underground. That's why I made the code word like that. There's no way he could remember something that long. So you had to be fake."

"I see." The ninja took of her hat, revealing very straight black hair. "Neither tired or ill prepared. This will be more fun then I previously imagined."

The ninja held out a white scroll with black borders that read "earth" on the outside. "You want my earth scroll, right? Since you have the heaven scroll."

The ninja held it up to her mouth. A long, snake like tongue slid out, wrapping around the scroll. The ninja pushed the object down her throat with ease, somehow not choking. Ice's mouth fell open. _Holy crap?! How?_

"Now let's begin the battle for each others scrolls…"

The ninja reached for her eye, pulling the lower eyelid down. Ice instantly felt out of place, like something was seriously wrong. Dread weighed the air, making it hard to breath.

"with our lives on the line."

Before Ice could move an inch, a Kunai blade came hurtling towards her and buried itself deep in her forehead.

* * *

 **This chapter is horribly written. I'm sorry XD**

 **The markings on Ice's neck will be explained later on. No, they are not curse marks. I just noticed that they sound like curse marks as I was writing this. But they aren't!**

 **I am writing a FNaF fanfic, and it seems so much better than this one! But it's not getting many reviews either. I guess my writing isn't that good! But that's why I'm here lol to get better.** **And write stories.**

 **If you have the time, please review! And thank you to all the people who have reviewed and favorited this story so far!**


	15. Chapter 14

🍥 **Time for another chapter XD this one is longer. Or so it seems!**

 **I hate Christmas music at any time during the year. Even when it is Christmas. I hate it.**

 **I'm starting to take some risks here. I don't know how people will react, or whether it's good or not, but this chapter is a major one. I enjoyed writing it, though I still have the fear it sucks terribly. I haven't been writing like I should, because my brain is just not working right XD but I tried my hardest with this one! I'm also going to start putting names on for the chapters!**

 **The bold in this chapter is… A certain entity. You will find out soon enough. No, it's not a spirit or a tailed beast or anything of the like.**

 **Also, because I'm typing on a school tablet, the major curse words will be slightly censored. All definitions for wolf speech words will be right below! I tried to spice things up a bit. Tell me if you think they should stay. I think I used too many of them, but they aren't a big part of the story.**

* * *

 **Dÿoligam: common wolf speech. Refers to a mentally handicapped or very old wolf. Can refer to a single wolf or a ranking in a pack**

 **Sesibèn: (this one is important, remember it) northern wolf speech. It means soul, or spirit. Can also mean chakra. Sethiren is the southern version.**

 **Jerikon: northern wolf speech. A stronger, more serious word for coward,a serious insult, especially for high ranking wolves. Used more in the north, but can also seen occasionally in more southern areas.**

 **Yerëneh: obscure northern wolf speech. A group of packs that are united and live in the same area. Kind of like a state. This system is rare and not commonly used. It can only be found in the far north.**

 **Fogdÿol: northern wolf speech. Means idiot. The northern version of fogbrain.**

 **Dÿol:common wolf speech. Means stupid, or dull.**

 **Corefhen: common wolf speech. ancient spirits. Often referred to as the causes for Instict. Used more commonly in the north, but it also plays a part in southern areas.**

* * *

There was no pain. All she saw was the Kunai come for her, and her body lock up. Then she was back, unmarked and shaking on the ground. Ice's breaths came in short, strained pants. Sweat dripped down her forehead and tears stung her eyes.

 _Wh-what was that? I-it… Was it Genjutsu? But it was so… It feels like I..._

Her brain refused to work properly. The intense fear was amplified by the pull in her neck. It made her feel like her body was too small, like it wasn't even hers anymore.

There was the sound of someone puking, and Ice slowly forced her eyes in the direction of the sound. Sakura and Sasuke were in the same dilemma, and Sasuke has thrown up. He fell back and looked up, and for the first time Ice saw raw, un-hidden fear in his eyes.

"Sakura… Ice…" Sasuke said slowly, looking at both of them. They both seemed immobile and terrified. _Damn it… This isn't good… we have to run… Or else…_

"Heh, you can no longer move." The grass ninja teased, smiling.

Sasuke tried to stand up, tried to will his legs to hold his weight under him. He forcefully pulled out a Kunai. _I need to move… Just a little bit… Move…_

"Too bad. I guess I was wrong…" The grass ninja held her arm up, three blades shining between her long, bony fingers. Sasuke pulled the Kunai near his leg.

 _Move!_

In one last, desperate movement, Sasuke drove the blade deep into his thigh. The pain jump started his mind, and his body ceased trembling.

The grass ninja sent the Kunai flying towards them with a quick flick of her arm. Sasuke dashed as fast as he could, grabbing his two teammates and jumping through the trees. The blades hit the tree behind where they used to be with a _thunk._

The grass ninja smiled wider, staring at the blood left on the ground from the Uchiha's wound.

 _He overcame the feeling of fear with pain. To injure his own body to erase the fear… just as I thought. He's no ordinary prey._

Sasuke stopped a short while away, slumping against the trunk of a tree. He had started shaking again. He grabbed the Kunai blade in his leg and jerked it out, sending blood splattering across the tree. Ice looked up shakily. _Sasuke…_

Sasuke breathed rapidly, pain and fear combining into panic.

"Sasuke, are you al-"

Sasuke pressed his hand to Sakura's mouth, silencing the pink haired ninja. _We have to run… Before we are found! But where… And how… how can we run away!?_

Ice pulled herself off of the ground. _Sasuke… I've never seen him panic… I'm scared… So… What should I do?_

Ice's panicked thoughts were cut off by a soft hiss. Sakura had begun to fight Sasuke's hand, attempting to say something. Ice turned towards the source of the hiss too see a huge snake, so big it could swallow one of them in one massive bite. It had many black spots and a long blood red tongue.

"Sasuke! MOVE!" Ice screamed, staggering to her feet and leaping away as far as she could. Sasuke looked over with wide eyes. Both he and Sakura jumped away in time to avoid the snakes deadly jaws.

 _Damn it… I was panicking so much I didn't notice the snake!_

The snake lunged for him, jaws wide open and huge fangs exposed. As Sasuke looked in its eyes, he saw a ghostly image of the grass ninja. Fear gripped him in a stronger grip than any snakes jaws could.

"Uwaaaaaaa! Stay away from me!" Sasuke grabbed as many shuriken from his holster as possible and threw them wildly at the snake. The serpent let out strangled his and fell to the tree below, blood pouring from the wounds caused by the shuriken.

Sasuke landed on a branch higher up, panting. He looked around, making sure Ice and Sakura were still near.

Ice was hiding behind a thick tree limb. She peeked over it slightly, her hard animal-like nails digging into the wood. _That snake is…huge..._

Something appeared to be trying to push out of the snakes neck. It eventually burst through, sending blood and other bodily fluids flying. The thing that burst out chuckled in a teasing manner.

"You guys shouldn't relax for even a moment. Prey should always try their best to run away…" the figure looked up, long tongue sliding out of her mouth. Sasuke's onyx eyes widened in terror. "No…"

"In the presence of a predator, that is…"

The grass ninja stretched her body unnaturally, curling around the branch like she was a snake herself. Ice stuttered, words forming in her throat but not making it out. She felt the pull in her neck again, and her body wanted to do _something_ , but her mind wouldn't let it. _Why… What is that thing!?_ Her tail went between her legs in fear.

The grass ninja stared at them with bloodthirsty eyes, laughing softly and deeply. Teasing them. However, the laughter was cut off by multiple shuriken that seemed to come from nowhere. The grass ninja dodged them with ease.

"I'm sorry Sasuke… I forgot the password!"

Ice turned towards the familiar voice. "Naruto?"

The blonde ninja stood confidently on a tree limb above, his orange track suit sticking out like a white stain on a black shirt.

Sakura smiled. "Great job Naruto!"

Sasuke was not relieved to see his comrade. "Naruto! You think you're cool and saving us, but forget it! This is on a whole 'nother level! Run away while you can!" He yelled.

Naruto ignored Sasuke's warnings, analyzing this weird snake Shinobi. Naruto's brow furrowed. _So it was this freak behind that huge snake that tried to eat me! And it looks like he has another one, too._

"Hey hey! Looks like you were picking on the weak!"

The grass ninja smiled in amazement.

 _This is bad… We will all be killed. There's no other way…_

Sasuke took a deep breath, looking away shamefully and taking the scroll out.

"I will give you the scroll. Take it and leave us. Please…"

"What!?" Naruto questioned angrily.

Ice's pupils narrowed and her ears shot up in surprise. _He can't be… Sasuke, that's not like you… If you're scared, what can we do?! I don't know what to do if you're like this. I look up to you to lead me… I trust you… What do I do?_

 **Be a wolf**

Ice stiffened. _Who… Was that?_

Ice looked around, but no one had moved, still in shock from Sasuke's decision. The voice had seemed so close. Like it was coming from everywhere.

 **A wolf uses fear as fuel for courage. Be what you truly are, and quit denying it.**

 _What?! That sounds like…_

It sounded like her own voice, but more confident and assertive.

 _What the hell?! Is it… A Genjutsu trick?_

 **I am really quite daft in a human vessel, aren't I?**

"Who… Who is that?!" Ice asked quietly. As she talked, she felt a pull in her neck again. She placed her hand on one of the markings.

"Sasuke! Why would you give the scroll to the enemy?!" Naruto asked. Ice's head snapped up, following his voice.

 **I can't believe I can't see the oblivious. I guess being in a human vessel can really wear down the wisdom of a wolf. Think about it. I know I'm not stupid.**

 _What the hell is this thing talking about? I? It's calling itself stupid._

 **Listen to me, you whelp.**

 _It can hear me?!_

 **I can hear myself, yes.**

 _I mean, you can hear me? When I'm thinking?_

 **I just said I can hear myself. Damn, your thicker than a** _ **dÿoligam.**_

 _Wait, dÿoligam? That's wolf tongue…_

"Take it!" Sasuke tossed the scroll towards the grass Shinobi. Naruto bolted, catching the scroll before it could reach its target. Naruto landed beside Sasuke, face shrouded in shadow.

Sasuke jerked towards him. "You bastard! What are you doing? Do you understand the situation!?"

Naruto looked up, scowling. He pulled back and landed a harsh punch to Sasuke's face. The Uchiha went flying a good distance before rolling to a stop. He looked up, holding his jaw.

"What the f*ck was that?!"

 _Sasuke! Why would Naruto?!_

 **Humph. The omega** **is really pushing his luck. Only the Alpha is allowed to be so brutal.**

"I forgot the password, so I can't test it, but… you're Sasuke's fake, aren't you!"

"You dumbass! I'm the real Sasuke!" Sasuke protested, wiping blood from his mouth.

"Liar…"

 _What is Naruto talking about?! That is Sasuke…_

 **In body, yes, but in** _ **sesibèn**_ **, he is currently a dishonorable** _ **jerikon.**_

"There's no way such a stupid coward like you… Is the Sasuke I know!" Naruto growled.

 _Sasuke… Everyone is a coward at heart, right? Being brave is only hiding those feeling, and acting upon them in a different way than others._

 **Yes. A mother defending her pups is acting on the fear her pups will die. A warrior fighting for his yerëneh is acting on the fear his yerëneh will be wiped out, or out of fear he will not be noticed and fade into the darkness of obscurity. Even if one still doesn't consciously feel fear, even if their mind doesn't acknowledge it, it's still there, a constant ghost haunting them.**

 _Sasuke… He doesn't know what to do with the fear he's feeling… Like me… I'm always scared, always hiding, always trying to find a cowardly way out. I'm just a weak jerikon… I can't save them… I can never…_

Ice began to shiver behind the tree branch, tears stinging her eyes. She pulled her hand away from her neck to rub her face, only to discover a thin sheet of ice had developed on her fingers. The ice reflected the glint of the sun and many colors showed on its surface.

Naruto jumped at the grass ninja, but Ice was too distracted to notice. She stared at her hand, frightened. She didn't feel the cold, she felt nothing.

 **How dare you insult me?! I am you, you fogdÿol! You have forgotten the teachings of the elder wolves, grown soft on human incompetence? You deny your blood, your sesibèn. You deny the crystal shades of your aura, the pale fire stars that sing in the sky above you, the whispers of the corefhen from the centuries past. You deny yourself for something you are not, therefore you do not have a true identity, do you? I am you, but you are not I. You are a nothing, until you can acknowledge the blood coursing through your veins.**

 _Wh-what?_

 **I know you constantly wonder what you are. Who you are. The answer is right in front of you, yet you can't see it. Because you deny it.**

Ice's thoughts were broken by Naruto's scream. Ice blinked and was intensely surprised and frightened to see another huge snake, many broken tree branches, and the grass ninja holding Naruto with her… Tongue. She had her hand pressed on a strange rune on the blonde's stomach, and Naruto was yelling in pain.

"Naruto!" Ice yelled fearfully. _Dammit I… Let myself… But what can I do?!_

Naruto suddenly went limp. The grass ninja reached into his weapon bag and pulled out the scroll. Then she tossed him aside like a broken toy.

 _Naruto! If he falls-_

Sakura yelled his name and threw a Kunai so that it would pierce his tracksuit and stick to the nearest tree. Naruto hung, motionless.

 _Naruto… Ugh!_

The tug in her neck suddenly increased in power, becoming a wave. Ice nearly fell, her muscles cramping and twitching. She let out a strangled groan.

 _Why… It's so strong… Why am I losing… Control…_

 **I am coming out. The part of you that was sealed so long ago. The wolf, full of wisdom and pride. Full of raw, untamed power.**

 _But… I'm not a wolf anymore! I can't…_

 **Yes, I can. This body is merely a vessel for your Sesibèn. Created to hold the Sesibèn of the one sealed inside. No matter how hard you try to run from the truth, it will always find you. You are a wolf.**

Ice pulled at her hair and gritted her teeth. The others were unaware of her suffering.

 _I… I don't want to be… A monster… Just a thing… What will…. They think if I…_

 **We are no monster. We are a wolf. Wolves have spent eternity baring the hatred and malice of humans on their shoulders. It is no different now. Their hatred does not matter. The only thing that matters is that you listen to the calls of you're blood and destroy the snake.**

"No!" Ice groaned, but her vision was going white. Tears leaked from her eyes. _I'm so scared… I don't want this to happen… I don't want them to hate me… My only friends… My pack… I don't want them to…_

Something snapped. Her hearing was taken over by a loud ringing, and her vision faded for a few seconds. When it returned, she was extremely uncomfortable. It felt like her body was going to explode, like something inside was going to tear it's way out. Ice shook and trembled, her eyes locking on the grass ninja.

Sasuke was still locked in place, his eyes wide and full of fear. He felt his legs tremble. His body freeze on the spot. The grass ninja swiveled to face him, smirking. _Dammit… Naruto's out… What do we do?!_

Sasuke's thoughts were sliced by a loud snarl. He didn't have time to turn to the sound before a gray blur smashed into the grass Shinobi, sending _it_ flying into the nearest tree. The Shinobi righted herself before she made impact. Ice landed in front of him.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _What? Ice? What's wrong with her…_

Her body was twitching, and she stood bent over, almost standing on both her hands and feet. Her nails and ears seemed larger, and she was emitting a deep growling sound. Sasuke caught a glimpse of something glowing a pale blue from under the headband wrapped around her neck.

"Ice? What are you… Go! Get away!" Sasuke said, swiping his hand for emphasis. Ice's ear twitched. She turned to him, glowing green eyes peering into his gray ones. Her fangs were longer- more pronounced, and saliva dripped from her mouth and made a _plip plip_ sound.

"Ice?" Sasuke asked uncertainly. _Did that guy do something to her? It hardly even looks like her anymore…_

"Sasuke… I… don't want too… Please don't look at me…" she whimpered, tears spilling from her eyes.

The grass Shinobi chuckled, and Ice's ears instantly swiveled towards the sound."So my theory is proven true. You really are one of the seal experiments. But I wonder, how would you have gotten here?"

"What? What do you know…." Ice asked shakily, cringing as another wave hit her. Her body _hurt._ Like every one of her nerves were stretching, pulling, moving. Ice let out another snarl. She turned to the enemy, eyes narrowed.

"What do you know?!" She asked again, desperately. She could feel her control slipping again. _Please… Whatever this is… Please stop… Please._

Ice let out a quiet sob between snarls. She spent another moment, quivering and trying not to give in, before leaping at the grass ninja, pulling her arm back.

The grass ninja easily dodged her, despite her speed. She turned and tried to swipe where she thought her enemy would be, but only tore cloth. She yelled and threw her whole weight at the grass Shinobi, missing and making herself extremely unbalanced.

"Hmm. I though this would be more interesting. But your reluctance is making you clumsy."

Ice jerked around, flashing rapid hand signs.

"Wind style, wolf wind Jutsu!" As she yelled, her body faded, giving in to many transparent wolf silhouettes. They surrounded the grass Shinobi, their faint eyes fixed on the target.

The grass ninja calmly chuckled.

The wolves leaped at the grass Shinobi. Many jaws opened wide, showing less transparent, shining white fangs. The grass ninja jumped, throwing a Kunai at one. Instantly, that one wolf ran to the side, and the others faded.

Ice's body returned to normal. She ran on all fours, trying to circle around the enemy ninja. The ninja jumped up to a higher branch, still wearing a cocky smirk. Ice launched herself at the grass Shinobi when she started performing hand signs.

"Black sound Jutsu." The ninja whistled, creating an extremely painful, high pitched sound. Ice's eyes widened as her ears exploded in pain. She screamed, missing the grass Shinobi and falling to a branch below.

Sasuke, with his hands pressed to his ears, looked like he was yelling at her. But she couldn't hear him. The only thing she could hear was pain. Strong, unbearable pain. She clawed at her head and her ears, not even able to hear herself.

A wave of blackness took over her, and she was left in a world of her own pain.

Sasuke stared at Ice, who had just gone still. The sound had hurt his ears, and they still throbbed. The fear grew stronger than before. _Ice… Ice is… No!_

The grass ninja looked at him with the same bloodthirsty eyes.

"Naruto is clumsy and gets in the way, and Ice isn't the strongest, but… at least they aren't cowards, right?!" Sakura yelled at him. Sasuke stiffened.

Itachi's words rang through his mind. _Foolish little brother. If you want to kill me, then hate, spite, and survive pathetically! Run and run, and climb desperately to life!_

"No!"

Sasuke's eyes lit up with the Sharingan, turning a blood red.

 _I must survive to kill my brother… That's what I though. But if I can't risk my life here, if I can't risk my life for my teammates, then what chance do I have against Itachi?_

Sasuke pulled out a Kunai, ready for battle.

…

Ice was in a world of black. Everything was dark. Her breath came out on puffs I front of her. She stood on a thick sheet of ice. The pain had disappeared.

 _Where am I?_

Ice looked around, frightened. _Where is Sasuke? And Sakura, and Naruto?_

"You won't find your human packmates here." A voice answered with distain.

A large, jet black wolf seemed to appear from nowhere. It had a blaze of white on it's forehead, white ear tips, and mysterious green eyes.

 _That's… That's me! Except…_

"That's right, I am you, as you are I. It's just that your Sesibèn bonded to that body, so it separated into two parts."

"Wait… What? Can you explain that?"

"I just did."

"But I don't get it."

"Of course. Just don't worry too much about it right now. Damn. I don't know how to make it simpler."

Ice blinked, and so did the wolf in front of her. The wolf she always saw in her reflection, the one she saw right before she went to sleep at night. The one that had haunted her ever since the night she woke up in a human body.

"Can you… Explain why that happened?" Ice asked, looking down. Oddly, she felt like she was crying, but no tears formed.

"You see those two marking on your neck? Those are seal markings. They are what keep you in a human form. If they weaken, your Sesibèn, or soul, begins to take over. Your body forcibly manifests into what your sesibèn is, which in your case is me. The seals were weakening due to the appearance of that ninja. I do not know how, or why."

"That's why my body felt like it was going to break?"

"Yes. The force is so great it could have killed you, or you might have went into your wolf form and never returned. The only reason you got through that is because you have two seals, instead of one."

"…" Ice blinked again, wondering if what she was seeing was real or not.

The wolf was beginning to fade. It opened its mouth to speak, but the words never came out. Ice felt the world around her fade.

She woke up on the ground, a rock pressing into her back and her ears throbbing.

Ice moaned, turning. It was dark. What appeared to be tree roots curled over her, creating a shelter.

 _How did I get here?_

Ice looked over to her left, seeing Sasuke and Naruto lying nearby. Sakura sat by Sasuke, worriedly feeling his forehead. He looked pale and weak. (Well, paler than he usually is XD)

"Sasuke?" Ice said hoarsely. Sakura looked at her.

"Thank goodness. I though I was going to be alone." Her voice still sounded muffled. Ice rubbed her ears.

"What… Happened. Why is Sasuke…" Ice moved to him. His breathing was very labored.

"That guy… Orochimaru… Bit him and left some weird mark on him, and then he got really sick." Sakura replied.

"Bit him?"

"Yeah, here." Sakura pointed to the top of his neck, where three swirling marks created a small circle.

 _Hmmm… They are too high up the neck to be like my marks. And they look way different._

"Hey, Ice… What was up with you? You know, when you attacked Orochimaru."

Ice stiffened and looked away. _"_ I don't know, and I don't want to talk about it."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but closed it. She was too tired to poke her teammate further. Besides, seeing Ice act so vicious scared her. _I never though… She's always seemed so weak and calm… Even now, I can't believe that was her._

Sakura looked out of the shelter, out into the night sky.

"We… We're the only ones here. We need to protect them…"

"Yeah…" Ice said quietly, brining her knees to her chest and resting her head on them. She wasn't going to have her full hearing for a while. It was going to be difficult to hear if any enemies were approaching.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sakura spoke again.

"His breathing is returning to normal, but still a strong fever."

Ice looked over, ears pressed against her head.

"…Do you think some herbs would help? I mean… I know certain plants that help with sickness and stuff…"

Sakura looked up thoughtfully.

"Maybe. But how would we find them here?"

"I would just have to go and look."

Sakura shook her head.

"That's dangerous. There are still other teams out there, and you going out on your own is practically swinging bait in front of their faces."

"We don't have a scroll anymore," Ice looked to the bag that Sasuke's head was resting on. "And I know how to hide."

"Don't you think you should wait for Naruto to wake up first?" Sakura asked.

"Who knows when that will be? Sasuke is really sick, and I want to help him."

Sakura rubbed her arm.

"If you go, I'll have to protect these guys alone."

"I'm sure you can manage. You're really smart! Besides, I won't be gone that long."

Sakura took a deep breath.

"I… I guess…"

Ice slowly stood up, not bothering to brush the dirt off her shorts.

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

As Ice turned to walk away, Sakura said something she never thought would come out of the pink haired girls mouth.

"You know… You're not all too bad… way better than Naruto, that's for sure."

Ice froze (no pun intended) and turned halfway around, shocked.

"…"

Sakura smiled at her. Ice felt a bubbling happiness rise up her chest. She flashed her teammate a wide, happy grin before dashing out into the forest.

* * *

 **Phew, I hope this works. If it doesn't, I'll have to take it down, rewrite it… Ugh. I had fun on this chapter, but it was a little hard! It was going to be a slightly longer, but I decided it's best to end it there. I just had to have that little moment between Sakura and Ice XD Sakira (Sakura. Hah, spellcheck, not today!) and Ice will never be best friends. And Sakura is still going to be jealous XD cause who doesn't want Sasuke, am I right** **? No? Yes, I'm a crazy person.**

 **As for a little explanation about how Ice came to be human, it was because her "soul" or whatever was sealed into a human body, made for such a sealing. I can't explain it all, but it has something to do with experiments. And no, not in the way you think. This is not going to turn into a Mary Sue escapes Orochimaru's hideout, etc. I have read FAR to many of those. And somehow they seem to always include lemons 0-0 be careful what you read, children.**

 **Kiyo: hey, yo, it's Kiyo! Review if you have time! I get money for every review, hehe…**

 **Sasuke: okay, never, ever review again, because this asshole does not deserve anything but my foot up his-**

 **Kiyo: Hey, you're knocked out! And why am I so bad!?**

 **Sasuke:*** **activates Sharingan* you'll have plenty of dead time to figure that one out.**

 **Kiyo: * "coincidentally" goes missing and never finishes exam. Is found dead in Sasuke's basement three months later***


	16. Chapter 15

**Yay, this is finally done! Took a little longer than I thought :/ I was extremely sick. Like, I hardly ate for a week sick. I'm still kinda recovering, but due to depression and sick problems I haven't had any motivation. Hopefully this year I'll get A LOT more done! Hope you all had a good Christmas! I finally got a tablet and Pokemon Moon (as well as a Sasuke figure I refuse to put down, seriously. I'm never putting him down XD)**

 **I'm so excited for the new episodes of Shippuden! Yeah, they are kinda milking the series now, but the new episodes are so damn good! I hope they make the day the wolf howled (can't remember the actual name. Starts with a j…) into animation! It's a little late, but it would help Sasuke's development greatly. It can be done (though it may make little to no sense XD)**

 **I made a two-shot story for this fanfiction, but made it separately because I couldn't find a way to fit it in. It's called Screws (yeah…it sucks.) and it's not my best, but go check it out if you are interested! This chapter is even worse because it was forced, but whatever:0**

* * *

Ice decided to crawl through the undergrowth instead of hoping from tree to tree. One reason was because if she would find any herbs, they would be on the ground. Reason number two was because she was well hidden from any other ninja who might be looking to hang her up on a wall for display.

It took longer, even with Ice's nimbleness and skill at traversing woodland areas. Some of the bushes were very thick and thorny, and Ice got a few scratches despite her carefulness.

She found a couple of berry bushes along the way, but no herbs that would be of any help to Sasuke. The large trees choked out the sunlight needed for plants to grow, so little plants were rare. Ice was getting more and more desperate. She could be found at any time, and she was no match against a skilled ninja, let alone a team of them.

Ice eventually came across a stream. It was small and narrow, the trickling of the water echoing through the forest. Ice decided to follow it, seeing as there were more plants growing at its edge.

It lead into a thicker part of the woods, curving gently into a large clearing. Ice could hear voices coming from the clearing, though she couldn't make out the words due to her impaired hearing. Ice froze (no pun intended.) as she felt terror creep up her spine and into her belly. _Oh no… More ninja…_

Ice wanted to turn away, but something made her stop. It was as if her body was disregarding her head.

 _ **Don't flee like a frightened pup.**_ The very familiar voice rang in her ears. Ice flinched, not expecting it.

"Your still here?" Ice asked out loud. She immediately regretted it, as the voices went quiet. _Sh*t!_

 _ **Don't talk out loud, fogdÿol! They will hear you! I am you, remember? So you have no need to speak words with your mouth.**_

 _Sorry…_ Ice ducked down further, never knowing her own voice could be so intimidating.

 _ **Find out who they are, then gauge your situation from there.**_

 _I don't want too…_

 _ **Do it!**_

Ice flinched again before crawling up to the nearest bush. She sniffed the air, but she was upwind of the clearing. Any scent was blown downwind. Ice moaned quietly before parting the bush slightly, looking out into the clearing.

Three ninja stood in its center, looking around. Ice recognized them instantly.

 _Choji, Shikamaru, Ino! Why are they here?_

 _ **Same reason as us, to get two scrolls.**_

 _I don't think I can take their scroll…_

 _ **Don't take your comrades scrolls! A wolf does not bare his battle fangs to his pack!**_

 _What…_

 _ **Whatever. Do what you wish.**_

 _Okay… I should ask them if they have any medicine… I don't think they would attack me because I don't have a scroll. Shikamaru would see no point in it, and Choji would be too lazy. Ino might be happy to, though…_ Ice shuddered. _Here goes, meh…_

Ice stuck her head out from the bush cautiously, causing Ino to jump.

"Waaaah! Wait, Ice? What the hell?"

"…"

Shikamaru put his hands on his hips and stared at her, already in thought.

"Hey, have you seen any food?" Choji asked.

"No…" Ice stayed in the bush, ready to flee if necessary.

"… step out, and tell anyone else that's with you to come out as well." Shikamaru commanded, but Ice could see uncertainty in his eyes.

"I'm alone…" _unfortunately…_

Ice stepped out slowly.

"Oh… So my dear Sasuke isn't with you? Hmmmm…" Ino smiled darkly.

 _I don't like that look…_ Ice took a step back. "I don't have a scroll!"

"Ino, don't. Ice of all people isn't going to try to take our scroll alone. But keep it hidden, in case that's what she's looking for. Tell us what you want or beat it."

Ice shivered. "I…" _dammit, I feel so vulnerable saying this… But it's for Sasuke…_

"Do you… Happen to have any medicine or herbs on you?"

"If we did, why would we give them to you! We might need them!"

Ice cringed. _I never thought of that!_

"I…" Ice trailed off. Shikamaru was giving her a calculating look.

"If YOU off all people come up to us asking for medicine, that must mean someone on your team is severally weakened, therefor your whole team is weakened. We could take you hostage and use you to get your teams scroll."

Ice took a few steps back, her first impulse being to run. But something stopped her. A sensation she never felt before, a locking of her limbs and unconscious movements. Her tail went between her legs but her ears moved forward. Her body tensed up and her legs tried to back away. She lifted her arms up, ready to swipe if needed. Despite the sweat running down her face, her eyes burned coldly.

"Hey, easy. We aren't going to do that. It's too much of a bother." Shikamaru said lazily.

"What?!" Ino yelled.

"They are a four man team. Even if they have one gone, they still have three. It's easier, yes, but still not worth trying to pull off. We most likely won't succeed."

Choji rubbed his cheek. "I certainly don't want to piss off Sasuke. He might destroy my only food!"

Ino flipped her long ponytail."Of course you don't want to piss my Sasuke off! Who does?"

"No one. But take ICE hostage and he'll be doubly pissed. That would be a drag."

Ice stared at them suspiciously. _I shouldn't tell them Sasuke is sick._

"What do you mean by that?" Ino asked.

"You know. Don't you?" Choji answered.

"What?!"

Ice tilted her head, still tense.

"Okay, think about taking Naruto hostage. He probably wouldn't care. Now think about taking Ice hostage. What's the difference?"

"It's better to take Ice."

"No."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ice eventually asked.

"Come one, there's gotta be something going on between you two." Choji said.

"What?"

 _ **Ugh, you are a complete Fogdÿol. Great Hethera.**_

"Whenever we see your team, you and Sasuke are always together. And he gives you the weirdest looks."

"I never saw that?! And doesn't everyone give her funny looks? Like, ya'know, she has freaking wolf ears on her head."

Ice's brow furrowed. Her fear was dwindled by curiosity and confusion.

"Can you explain that?"

Shikamaru sighed.

"I don't know. Maybe only us guys see it or something, because I don't really care. But he looks at everyone like he wants to shove a rusty signpost up their a$$, doesn't he?"

"I… Guess?" Ice said awkwardly.

"And when he looks at you, he still looks like he wants to kill something, but he's different somehow. Like he's in deep thought. And he also looks slightly scared. I don't know. Man, what a drag."

Ice blinked slowly. _I don't know what to make of that._

 _ **Don't give yourself an ulcer over it.**_

 _What's an ulcer?_

…

 _Can you tell me? Is it important?_

 **Just shut up.**

"Hey! You're the one-" Ice stopped, realizing she started talking out loud again. The other team stared at her like she grew another head.

 **Humph. You deserved that.**

Ice blinked and scratched her head nervously. She looked down.

"Sorry… I was… Thinking aloud…"

 **That's an understatement.**

 _No one asked you! Just get out of my head, will you?_

 **I can't. We are one, remember?**

 _Then why did I never hear you before?!_

 **The seal was stronger.**

 _Meh…_

Ice looked extremely irritated out of nowhere, which confused the other teens.

"Uhhhhh, is she ok?"

"…"

"Maybe she's hungry?"

Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji stared in awkward silence as Ice stared into nothing while looking progressively angrier. Eventually, Shikamaru broke the silence.

"Hey!"

Ice jumped and faced him, eyes wide.

"Brwark! Huh? Oh…."

Ino laughed.

"What was that?! That was the weirdest sound I have ever heard!"

Shikamaru sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Why don't you just beat it?"

"Okay!"

Ice jumped suddenly and ran away like a bat out of hell.

"Sasuke would never like someone like her." Ino snorted, shaking her head. "Weirdest person ever."

"Weirder than Naruto?"

"…maybe. Not as annoying, I guess."

Ice ran up the stream, thinking of where to look next. The sun had risen and it was getting lighter.

 _Damn… I need to find something…_

The sound of birds made the wolf girl stop abruptly and look up, ears turning to the sound. A swarm of birds had just burst from the forest, crying in fear.

Ice shook her head, her aching ears irritating her, and stared in the direction of the birds with a concerned look.

 _Something happened over there… Wait, that's around where Sakura is!_

Ice stiffened.

 _Oh no! What… What if Orochimaru found them and killed them! Or maybe Shikamaru and his team found them! I need to go! But…_

 _ **Stop hesitating and go!**_

Ice flinched and started jumping through the trees frantically. Every noise frightened her now, even the noise of her own footsteps. The paranoia made her ears hurt more.

The trees blurred into a blob of green and brown as she moved, her mind focusing straight ahead of her. _I should be close now…_

She could see space from behind the leaves up ahead. Ice slowed down and climbed higher, her nails leaving scratches on the wood. She hugged the branch beneath her and peeked out of the tree.

The sound ninja from the exam stood in the clearing, the one with the bandages on his face and the long hair standing over Lee. Ice's ears pricked in surprise. _Lee! But… He's in trouble!_

"Now, let's finish this!" The sound ninja raised his arm, preparing to attack. Ice's muscles tensed. _I don't know how he got here, but…_

While Ice was panicking about what to do, Sakura jumped in front of Lee, arms outstretched.

"I won't let you!"

Ice's eyes widened. _No! Sakura…_

Sakura's smile flashed through her mind. She felt a cold determination flow into her veins.

 _ **Let's go!**_

Ice pushed her body from the branch with all her strength, lunging towards the sound ninja. He turned and jumped just in time to avoid Ice's swipe. She landed on the ground on all fours, snarling. Sakura jumped back.

"Ice?"

Ice shook her head and stood up. _I just did that?_

The sound ninja was staring at her with an angled head. _Oh well… Too late now._

Ice gulped nervously.

 _I have to hope I'm lucky…_

Ice pulled out a Kunai, the glint of the sun reflecting off the black blade.

"Oh, I remember you. The wolf."

The sound ninja's parter chuckled. "Heh, you really think YOU of all things could challenge us?"

Ice shifted nervously, but her eyes showed an animal like rage, like the stare of a wolf ready to meet an opponent with fangs and claws. _I can't back down… I'm scared, but… If I do…_

"Mhh."

Her opponent raised his arm.

"Oh well. One more fly to hit with the swatter."

The sound ninja moved, quick as lighting. Ice moved to dodge her opponents sudden attack, but as she moved to the side, she felt a sharp pain in her ear. She felt her balance fade as she fell to the ground in serious pain. It hurt so much it brought tears to her eyes. Ice scrambled at the ground in an attempt to get up. In a last ditch effort, she kicked at the sound ninja's feet. He jumped safely out of her reach.

"Pitiful. Why do you even try to be a ninja? You can't do anything even when you aren't sniveling in a corner."

His teammate stood up.

"Stand back, I'll take care of this one in one blow."

Ice growled and clenched the earth beneath her fist. _Dammit! Why… Why can't I do anything… Mnnn… Sasuke... Naruto… Sakura…_

Sakura's smile flashed through her mind. _She accepted me…_

 _I can't give in… Not after… I've finally found what I was looking for. Not now…_

Ice stood up, trembling. The other ninja started performing hand signs.

"Ice!" Sakura yelled.

 _I can't take that sound attack, another one will put me out. I have to find a way to deflect the sound…_

 _ **Deflect sound WITH sound.**_

…

 _ **Listen to your inner instinct.**_

 _Last time I did that…_

 _ **This is something you learned long ago, but never mastered. Dragon-Tiger-Bird-Dog- then focus your chakra in your chest and let it out.**_

 _What?_

Ice felt the fear in her stomach burn more as the ninja put out his hands.

 _Tell me!_

…

 _Are they… Hand signs… I don't have a choice, I need too do it now!_

Ice did the hand signs in panicked movements- Dragon, Tiger, Bird, then dog.

Next Ice focused her chakra in her chest, and she could feel a growing power there. Cold, yet powerful. The feeling was old and familiar, and she drew in air instinctively.

Ice froze for a moment. _Is this… Will it work?_

The sound ninja shouted something, sending off his attack. _No time to find out, meh!_

Ice released the power, and it came out as a howl. A wolf howl. It was loud and powerful, the sound from it driving off the sound ninja's attack. (Why do I feel as if this is cringy :/)

The one who unleashed the attack blinked. "… So you aren't as useless as I thought. Still, that isn't going to save you."

Ice nearly fell over, gasping for air and grabbing her throat. Her throat felt a little raw, but she felt a glowing triumph. _Yes! I remember now… I was never able to… Ugh, no time, I have to keep going._

Ice looked up, and in a flash ran after the sound ninja who first attacked her. Ice feinted and circled around him, then swiped at his feet.

The sound ninja fell with a grunt, but quickly got his bearings and punched at her. It missed by a mile, but Ice felt the same paralyzing pain as before. Ice fell to one knee, holding her ear and trying to suppress the nausea that was trying to take her over. Her opponent used this to his advantage and kicked her hard. Ice went flying and landed hard, the breath knocked out of her lungs. She lay still, the pain in her ear and the kick immobilizing her.

The sound ninja started approaching her, but all she could do was open one eye and stare. Overwhelming fear overtook her again, so strong she couldn't even think. The worst thing was that she couldn't hear the sound of his footsteps, only the pain in her ears.

Suddenly shuriken flew at the ninja, causing him to jump. They were thrown by Sakura, who jumped near Ice and threw more of them at the ninja's partner.

Sakura's legs felt like jelly. But she was tired. Tired of being protected.

The shuriken Sakura threw were blasted back at her by an air pressure attack, and Sakura Instinctively brought her arms up. One of the shuriken scratched her arm, drawing blood.

There was a harsh pull behind the rookie ninja, and she found her hair was being tugged at.

"Oww!"

"Much more luster than me, this…" It was the female sound ninja.

"Pft… Trying to be a sexy ninja? If you have more time to treat your hair then train, you female swine… Zaku! Kill that Sasuke guy in front of this boy chasers eyes. Let's teach this one a lesson."

Zaku, the ninja who Sakura just attacked, looked up. "Ah, good idea."

The last ninja didn't change one bit. "Hey, hey…"

Ice's body stiffened. The words were muffled and she couldn't make some out, but she heard the part about Sasuke. She tried to move, but as she lifted her head a wave of pain and nausea sent her back to the ground. _I can't get up… No…. Sasuke! Please don't hurt him… Please…_

At first Sakura just stared, tears falling down her cheeks. Then the fearful look in her eyes was replaced by a new resolve.

 _This time… I'll be the one doing the protecting…_

Sakura pulled out a Kunai, but the female sound ninja just laughed.

"Useless. That won't work against me."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura said darkly.

In one swift movement, Sakura sliced through her hair, breaking free of the sound ninja holding it.

The air was filled with silence, before Zaku shouted "Kin! Kill her!"

Kin ran at Sakura, but she used a substitution Jutsu to put a log in her place.

Ice felt a glimmer of hope. _Maybe… Sakura can beat them!_

 _ **Not all three of them, on her own.**_

 _Right… I need to try…_

Ice tried to get up, and made it to her knees, but another wave hit and sent her back. This time she could feel her consciousness fading, and fought for it desperately. Everything faded in and out, including the pain, and it was tempting to let go. _It would hurt less that way…_

 _ **But you need to protect your pack. That's the number one law, the binding rule. Something boiled into the blood of all wolves, lone or not.**_

Ice slowly regained her senses. When she looked up, she was greatly confused to see Ino, Choji and Shikamaru. _Why are they here? Oh no… Did they follow me to get our scroll! Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no…._

Ice sat up a little too fast, making the pounding in her head intensify. After it calmed down, she looked up with a snarl.

"H-hey! Beat it! Please… DON'T TAKE OUR SCROLL OR I'LL… Uhhhh… TELL NARUTO YOU HAVE A LIFELOAD OF RAMEN IN YOUR HOUSES!" Everyone turned to look at her with puzzled looks.

"Dosu, you must have really screwed that girl up or something." Zaku said.

As Shikamaru sighed, so did the sound ninja adjacent to him, and Ice noticed they were connected by a shadow. "You moron, we're here to help."

Ice stared at him blankly.

"What now?"

 _ **I am ashamed to be a part of you.**_

 _Hey… I decide to be bold and I get this! That's it, I'm never yelling again… but are they fighting the sound ninja?_

Everyone looked away from her, going back to where they left off.

"Alright, if you don't want me to kill this Kin girl, then drop your scroll and leave. When I can't sense your chakra I'll let her go." Kin said, making Ice shake her head. _What? The sound ninja said that! About herself… But… It kinda sounded like Ino… What is going on?_

Zaku smiled and put out his hand without any hesitation, sending his own teammate flying with a sound blast. She hit a nearby tree and fell to the ground. At the same moment, Ino collapsed, blood dribbling down her chin.

 _He just attacked his own teammate! And... Ino…_

 _ **That dishonorable jerikon! He has no value of pack! He should be faced by the great nature and torn limb for limb!**_

"Heh, are you confused? Our goal isn't to get the stupid scrolls, or safely complete this exam." Zaku explained.

"It's Sasuke."

 _Sasuke?_ Ice growled loudly. _Why do they want to kill Sasuke so badly?_

The shadow connecting Dosu and Shikamaru broke apart, and Dosu started moving again.

"Ah… Looks like five minutes is your limit for this Jutsu."

Dosu stood up, chuckling. Zaku chuckled as well.

"Bah, I can't take this anymore."

Ice flinched as a new voice joined the mix. It wasn't near and faint, and Ice couldn't locate it until she followed the others eyes.

It was Lee's teammate, Neji, along with his other teammate, Tenten. They both stood on a tree branch above.

"Some minor sound ninja's bullying rookie ninja's and declaring victory?" Neji said hatefully.

"They keep crawling out like cockroaches." Dosu muttered.

"You made a mistake." Neji looked over to Lee, who was still uncouncious. "That knocked out freak is from our team and… Your gonna pay for that!"

Neji's empty eyes darkened as the veins around them protruded. Ice felt like he was looking through her, seeing everything inside her. She tried to make herself smaller. She suddenly felt a dark feeling in her gut, and she didn't know if it was from Neji or because of her injuries.

"If you go any further, I'm going all out…"

Neji suddenly stopped, looking over at Sasuke.

"If you hate it so much, then come down here and do something about it!"

"…no."

"Huh?!"

The veins around Neji's eyes disappeared as a knowing smile crept across his face. "Looks like that won't be necessary."

Ice's heart sped up on its own. _What… Is this feeling._

"Sasuke! Your awake!"

Ice looked over as fast as she could. _Sasuke! Fina- huh?_

Sasuke rose slowly, a purple aura surrounding him. Black markings spread from his neck down his arms, and halfway across his face. There was a darkness in his eyes that made the hair on Ice's tail stand on end. Her eyes widened with fear. _What's wrong with him?_

"Sakura… Ice… who did that to you?"

* * *

 **Short, stupid, bad, but like I said I am still recovering. It's not as bad as I think it could've been, so hey, a plus!**

 **The inner voice or whatever won't stay forever (unless you guys want it to) but for now I kinda like it. I think it shows Ice's stronger side, but it also represents the ruthless hunter within, which is something she is scared of and try's to deny. Only time will tell what will happen ^_^**

 **(Disclaimer: rambling below. I'm a lonely person, so I tend to talk a lot like this :0 I'm sorry XD)**

 **I'm a little bored, so PM me just to chat or whatever. I'm almost always on durning weekdays, so you can PM me then (or whenever, it may take me awhile to respond.) and I'll get back to you when I'm free (usually during study halls.) Tuesday and Thursday are busier, but I always find time. I usually can do whatever in history because I'm really good at that class and my teacher is chill. At least I'm not like those snobby people who sit on their IPads or even phones and then complain the teacher doesn't teach properly:/ I at least pay attention and take notes. People really grind my gears (reference, yay! I can't watch family guy anymore though because I get a little squeamish at the jokes nowadays. I'm fine with game of thrones, though.)**

 **Kiyo: please review if you have time! It would help with motivation! And my exam… DARN IT WHERES THAT SCROLL!**


	17. Chapter 16

**I lost a little motivation due to bullying. And the fact this is doing terribly. I see people who post new fanfictions with OCs and everything get so many reviews quickly, and they aren't even good. I don't get it… But thank you to all who reviewed, favorited, and followed. It means a lot.**

 **Meow :3 (you can skip this first paragraph, but the second one is slightly important.)**

 **Who likes Full Metal Alchemist? I do XD it's such a good anime. It hits the feelz (Nina… Hughes…** **💔*** **starts crying*) I prefer Naruto, but I can see how Full Metal Alchemist trumps Naruto in SOME aspects. I'm an overprotective fangirl, but FMA has a special spot ^.^ I may write a short RoyXHawkeye when I finish the series.**

 **Anyways, I had trouble with the scene when Sakura stops Sasuke :/ I didn't want to steal it from her, but I didn't know what to do… so if people feel like it should be different, I'll be happy to go back and change it, Kay? So no flames like mustang XD just tell me. Man, this is harder than it sounds. I think it's easier when you have your own characters, and your own scenarios. But that's just me. It would've been easier to take Sakura out entirely, but first of all that's overdone, and second off all Ice would then take the spotlight, and I don't want that. Not to mention, even though I myself trash on Sakura a little, she's still a wonderful character. Yes, she needs to stop hitting Naruto (seriously, it's getting old) but she has her good spots, too. You just have to let yourself move away from what you think about her and push away all judgements so far and just** _ **look**_ **. I know it's fun to roast her XD just remember from time to time she** _ **is**_ **a good character, and person (albeit manga person… lol)**

* * *

"Who did that to you?"

Ice went completely still. The same dark aura that Orochimaru gave off was coming from Sasuke. Her stomach churned uneasily. _What… Happened to him? Those marks… What are they?! Sasuke…_

"Sasuke… Your…" Sakura started, also shocked.

Sasuke looked over to her, his blood red eyes filled with intensity.

"… Don't worry… I feel power overflowing from in me… I feel… Great… I understand now…"

"W-what?"

"I finally understand… I'm an avenger." (please, for the love of all that is good and decent, stop it XD I can't stand how he says that. Who ruined it, Sasuke himself or the Avengers?🌚)

"Even if I must eat the Devils fruit, I am on a path where I must gain power."

Ice hardly felt _real_. Like this was a bad dream, like she would wake up and be okay. There was something new about Sasuke that horrified her more than any enemy. She could hardly stand it. _Sasuke… What did he do to you?_

Sasuke turned to the two remaining sound ninja. "Now… It was you guys, right?" His voice was filled with venom.

"Ino, lets go! This is bad! We need to hide or we'll get caught up in this! You too Choji!"

Shikamaru picked Ino up, and ran into the bushes, along with Choji.

Sasuke stared at the two sound ninja, his eyes burning. The black marks slowly shifted, moving to cover more of his face. He tensed up and Ice could see a glimpse of pain in his eyes.

Dosu's eyes widened. "He… He has too much chakra!"

Zaku put his hands together. "Dosu, no need to be afraid of this half dead freak!"

"No Zaku! Don't you realize?!" Dosu yelled back.

Zaku released a massive amount of a energy, so powerful it covered the area in a thick cloud of dust. "Ultimate Zankuuha!"

Rocks and other debris flew as tree branches snapped. When the dust began to clear, there was a indent in the ground leading to where the attack was centered- where Sasuke was.

Zaku laughed smugly. "Hah! Blown 'em away."

"Blown who away?" Sasuke growled. His voice was dangerously close, and Zaku had no time to move as Sasuke revealed himself behind Zaku and hit him hard, sending him rolling across the ground.

Ice was shaking. Sasuke avoided the attack _and_ protected them. That meant he hadn't turned bad like Orochimaru, but he was still different.

Terrifying.

Sasuke flashed rapid hand signs before drawing back, taking a deep breath.

"Pheonix flower justu!"

Sasuke spat out multiple fire balls that speed towards Zaku, who has just got to his feet.

"So what?! I'll blast them away!"

Zaku blew away the fire with sound pressure only to reveal that underneath each fireball was a shuriken.

"What!?"

Zaku protected his face with his arms as the shuriken hit, some zooming past him and others hitting him, sending blood dripping to the ground.

"Zaku, below!"

Sasuke had ran toward Zaku, staying low to the ground. Zaku looked down, but his attacker was gone in an instant. Only a breath later, Sasuke had a hold of his two arms and his foot pressed to his back.

Zaku shook and struggled, but it was useless. Sasuke's grip was too strong.

Ice could see him smile behind the dark bangs that covered his face. It wasn't a genuine, happy smile, no. It was a dark smirk, filled with evil intentions. Though Sasuke never smiled, and the only motion his mouth could do that was in an upward direction was an arrogant smirk- he never did this. His eyes never had that intent to harm in them. She could see the difference now, that he never had a real killing intention. Sasuke always looked like he wanted to rip someone limb from limb, but now she knew the difference. And the old Sasuke seemed so much more soft and kind when compared to this new one.

"Heh, you seem very proud of these arms, very…" Sasuke paused for a moment. " _Attached_ to them."

Ice flinched. _What is he going to do?!_

Zaku looked back, his eyes filled with fear. "Wha-"

At that moment, Sasuke simultaneously pulled on his arms while pressing down on his back, until a snap filled the air.

 _Wh-what The hell?!_

Sakura covered her mouth in surprise while Zaku screamed in pain. Sasuke let go of him and he fell to the ground, limp and moaning.

Sasuke turned to the remaining sound ninja, causing his eye to widen.

"Looks like you're the only one left."

Sasuke took a few steps towards Dosu.

"I hope you're more fun than you're friend was."

Ice was almost certain this was a nightmare. But the pain she felt in her head told her it was real. Brutally, horrifyingly real.

 _Why is he doing this…_

" _I… I don't know why, but Orochimaru wants Sasuke. He says that Sasuke will go to him looking for power…"_ Sakura's voice rang in her mind.

" _Looking for power."_

 _Power… Is that why? No, he didn't ask for this power… Orochimaru did something._

Ice was filled with rage at the thought of the snake.

 _That asshole… No… He can't… I know I'm weak, but… If I just let Orochimaru take Sasuke away from me, what am I then? Now that I think about it... Sasuke despises me… I know it now…. I can't believe I was so naïve in thinking that I could have a true comrade, not be lonely anymore. But it doesn't matter. It's all I have, I can't let it be taken from me… Please…_

Ice scrambled to her feet, feeling a sharp pain in her head and side but pushing it aside.

 _ **You Fogdÿol! He is superior to you, not to mention he is taking out the enemy. We should not interfere!**_

 _Go away!_ Ice growled mentally. Her stomach twisted with fear, making her nauseous again. Sasuke was approaching Dosu with the same sadistic look in his eyes.

Sakura turned to look at Ice silently, tears in her eyes. _Sasuke… This isn't you!_

At first Ice could only take small, shaking steps. Her tail was stiff between her legs, and would not budge. It took a few moments before she broke out into a full sprint towards Sasuke.

Ice grabbed Sasuke's wrist, gripping it tightly. She tried to speak, but her throat choked out her words. Eventually she was able to force words out, albeit in a choked whisper.

"Please…no more… Sasuke… Don't…"

Sasuke turned slightly to look at her. Ice stiffened in fear, but did not move.

Her legs began to shake harder. _He's… Going to turn on me now, I know it. He's going to…_

The black marks turned into a lava-like red, glowing and shifting. They began to retract, going up his arms and back across his face, back to his neck. His Sharingan faded.

Sasuke collapsed, wheezing, his wrist sliding from Ice's hand. Ice didn't move. _He… He's not covered in those marks anymore… Does that mean he's back to normal?_

"Sasuke!"

Sakura ran passed her, kneeling beside Sasuke, who was still fighting for breath.

Ice stared at them, feeling like this had happened before.

 _It's like that time… At the land of waves…_

"You are strong. Sasuke. We can't defeat you this time." Dosu said, holding up a scroll.

"Here's a gift to you. Please let us leave."

Sasuke looked up, as did Sakura.

 _He's leaving his scroll, as a means of negotiation…_ Ice glared at him. _I don't think that he's just going to leave us alone…_

Dosu put the scroll down and walked over to Zaku, and helped him up. Zaku moaned quietly.

"This may seem convenient, but there is something we must find out now. But I will promise you this. If we meet again, we won't run or hide."

He began to walk away, both his teammates leaning on him.

"Wait! Who is Orochimaru, and what did he do to Sasuke?! Why him?!" Sakura yelled.

Dosu turned briefly. "I don't know. We were merely ordered to kill him."

With that, Dosu left without another word. Ice collapsed to the ground, shaking now from exhaustion.

Sasuke held up his arm, staring at it with a fearful look in his eyes.

"What happened to…" He trailed off.

 _Sasuke… He… Didn't attack me… Why?_

She remembered how he carried them _all_ away from the blast that Zaku set off, even Naruto.

 _It's… He's not really so mean… But like I was thinking before… He hates me. I see now… I've followed him around like a stupid dog, looking for him to accept me… Trying to cling to the past…_

 _ **Hah, hates you? Stop acting like a pup who didn't get what she wanted.**_

 _Shut up! Just leave me alone…_

 _ **Well, stop being a disgrace. It's anything but hate he views you with.**_

 _What do You mean? He always calls me pathetic, tells me to leave him alone, s-_

 _ **That's because he is a miserable bitch. Number one, he is always acting like an elder, being as grumpy as a porcupine. Second, he's screwing with you.**_

… _why would he do that?_

 _ **You're far too gullible. Like I said, he's a miserable grump, so he likes to take out his grumpiness on you. And he's a prick.**_

 _Stop talking about Sasuke like that!_

 _ **I'm stating the truth.**_

 _How can I make it so you don't talk anymore?_

 _ **The seal weakened, so I can talk as I please.**_

…

 _ **But you are looking at this situation wrong. Yes, you followed him like a dumb mutt. But that's a cue to change. Change your views. Look at things differently.**_

 _What?_

 _ **You were looking to get close to that grump as a dog and human bond, yes?**_

 _I don't know… I just wanted to be friends…_

 _ **Well, that's what your subconscious was after.**_

 _Isn't that subconscious you?_

 _ **No. But as I was saying, you are no longer in the past. So a dog human bond is impossible. But, there's something else. Another kind of bond.**_

…

 _ **I'm not telling you, so don't ask. Just do as I said, and forget that you used to have those ties. Your not the only one who changed. Forget the past.**_

 _I…_

A yell jerked Ice from her thoughts. She looked over at the source. Naruto was now up, looking around frantically with a red bump on his head. Shikamaru and Choji stood over him, Choji holding a stick.

Ice looked from Naruto to Sasuke and Sakura.

 _I feel like a ghost… They don't even notice me…_

Normally, Ice would have found that favorable. The less attention, the better. But this time, Ice felt a sharp pain.

 _It's like I'm not here. I don't know why, but… It hurts._

She looked down at the ground, closing her eyes.

 _Maybe it's just because my head hurts…_

Everything seemed to fade for a few moments. Then, she was aware of someone poking her arm roughly.

"HEY!"

Ice didn't jump like she would normally. Instead, she looked up sluggishly.

Sasuke was there, looking annoyed… And thoughtful.

"What the hell!"

"…"

Sasuke's brow furrowed.

"Naruto was just yelling at you, and now I was too. We're leaving."

Ice's eyes opened a little wider. _Dammit… Why didn't I hear them? It must be my ears… I hope my hearing recovers…_

"I'm… Sorry."

"…" Sasuke's gaze seemed to burn into her as she stood up.

"… Let's go."

…

The four Genin had built a fire, and we're cooking some fish on it. The smell of the smoke drifted off into the woods, as well as the aroma of cooking fish. This did not make Ice hungry, however. It actually made her a little nauseous. She didn't want to think of food, much less eat it.

Ice stated at the fire, watching the flames flicker. She had always been fascinated with fire.

"This is the fourth afternoon since the test started. The second test started at around 2:30 pm… So that means we only have around 25-26 hours left." Sasuke said. Ice didn't even glance at him.

"Many teams have passed already. That means… there may not be any heaven scrolls left. The test is 80% over, and only 13 heaven scrolls exist. That Orochimaru guy burned ours, so there are only 12 left." Sakura said.

"Either way, this next enemy… Is our last chance." Sasuke growled.

Naruto was busy drooling over the smell of the fish, eyeing the biggest one.

Sasuke started to stand up, grabbing the four water canteens while he did so.

"I'm going to get some water."

Ice was still watching the fire intently, and didn't notice the Uchiha's gaze shift to her.

"… Hey, your coming to help me."

"…"

"Ice!"

Ice's head didn't move, but her eyes did.

"Come on."

"Why?"

"Water. Now."

Ice looked up at him as he began to walk away. Ice stood up slowly and followed him unenthusiastically.

 _Great… Is he going to yell at me for before? When I… Stopped him?_

Ice remembered the moment with a shiver.

Sasuke was silent, as usual, as they made their way through the forest to the river. Sasuke handed her two of the water canteens before going up to the river and dipping one in.

Ice stared at him forlornly before going and filling her canteens up. She thought she heard something, but the gurgle of the river drowned it out. She paid no attention to it, too tired to do anything, until she felt a another harsh poke on her shoulder.

Ice flinched and looked up.

"… Sit down."

"…Why?"

"Now."

"Wh-"

"NOW."

Ice half sat, half fell over. She mindlessly rubbed at her ears and looked up at Sasuke in fear. _He's mad… Oh no…_

Sasuke pointed at the river. "Look over there. Do not turn."

Ice was extremely confused, but did as she was told out of fear of his wrath. Everything was quiet for a few seconds, and Ice began to think he left until she felt something _cold_ in her ear.

Ice shrieked and rolled over. Sasuke growled in frustration.

"Hold. Still."

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ice shook her head furiously, shaking the water that had somehow gotten into her ears out.

"What do you think?!"

"Why are you pouring water into my ears! I don't like that, prick!"

Ice covered her mouth as she said the last word. Sasuke's brow raised.

"What was that?"

"Nothing…"

"… Sit back up."

"Nooooooo…."

"Yeeeeeeeeessss."

"Noooooooooooooo-"

"UNLESS YOU WANT TO LOSE YOUR F***ing HEARING, SIT BACK UP."

Ice yelped and sat back up briskly.

Ice tried to resist the urge to swipe at him as Sasuke grabbed her left ear.

"Dammit, no wonder you can't hear sh*t."

"…what?"

"There's a crap ton of blood in here, mutt."

"… That makes sense. But why do you care?" Ice said the last sentence somewhat bitterly.

Sasuke paused for a while. "We are at a disadvantage if you can't hear."

"Oh… " Ice glared at him. _I was right. He doesn't care, he hates me._

"… and I find it annoying not to be heard. Now look over there."

Ice didn't move. _There's something in his eye… Like he's lying… Maybe…_

Sasuke growled and manually turned her head towards the river.

Ice flinched as she felt the water in her ear again. It also brought more pain.

"You need to hold still or this won't work."

Sasuke's voice was a lot softer than she ever expected it to be.

The pain faded into relief as the water soon turned to her own body temperature. Sasuke stepped away.

Ice instinctively shook her head, spraying the water out. It was a reddish color.

"…"

Sasuke pointed at the river again.

"I'm not done, mutt."

Ice growled the word prick under her breath again, but did as he said. Her left ear didn't hurt anymore, and felt clearer.

"Do you want me to pour it in slower or faster?"

"What?"

"The water."

"… Why are you asking?"

Ice was even more confused. This was going against just about everything she thought she realized before. And was starting to line up with what… Mind wolf… Told her. (I'm sorry, I have no other name XD mind wolfie)

"Why do you think?" Sasuke answered irritably. "Does it hurt more if I pour it in fast, or slowly? Damn, your stupid."

Ice stayed silent for a few moments.

"… I guess it is better slowly…" _you dodged my question. Prick. Wait… I said not to call him that, but now Im calling him that. Maybe… Mind wolf was right._

 _ **I am not a mind wolf!**_

 _Shut up._

Ice's face curled up in annoyance, and she didn't notice as Sasuke poured the water into her right ear.

"What's your problem, mutt."

"…what?"

"Your not acting right. Your acting more like someone shoved a stick up your ass."

"You mean like you." Ice grumbled.

"My point. Not to mention…" Sasuke trailed off.

"… What?"

"… Did he do something to you? What… happened back there… With Orochimaru."

"…" Ice looked at her lap. _I thought he forgot that… When the seal weakened… I can't tell him._

"I don't know."

Sasuke stepped back once more, staring at her hard.

"… I think you do. You really like your secrets, don't you, mutt."

Ice looked over at him, chewing her lip. _Dammit_

"… Whatever. Not my issue."

Sasuke took the water canteen he used for her ear and took it back to the water, filling it up again. Ice's eyes followed him every step of the way.

 _She said… To see things differently. What kind of bond… Was she talking about?_

"By the way, this is yours now." Sasuke walked away from the river, holding the water canteen, only to stop as he noticed Ice staring at him with a analytic quality.

"… Is there a reason your looking at me like that?"

Ice didn't budge, deep In thought. _Sasuke… I think I was wrong. But… What did she mean? Maybe… What does my Instinct tell me? What do I want? Meh…_

"…"

Ice got on her feet slowly. Sasuke was starting to feel creeped out. _I don't like that look…_

Ice started walking towards him, eyes wide.

"Stay away…." Sasuke said. _She looks like she wants to eat me… Dammit._

Once Ice got close, she stared at his face. Hardly. Sasuke was extremely uncomfortable now.

"… Wha-"

Before Sasuke could finish, Ice grabbed him hardly and hugged him, burying her face in his chest. Sasuke stiffened.

"No, Ice, no, get off, bad, no, let go, no, no… Get off, let go, no…."

Ice only gripped him tighter. Sasuke sighed.

 _How the hell did I get into this?_

* * *

 **If you have time, please review and tell me what you think, or just talk! My goal by the end of this is 30 reviews, and I'm a little doubtful of that now… And it's demotivating.**

 **Ugh, terrible. I need to get this rolling. This is one I'm going to have to rewrite. Lol.**

 **With school and stuff, I have been really drained. Especially due to bullying. But I got this done! I just had to do that ending, okay? I tried to keep him in character, but like I said I'm going to have to edit this soon. I know it. But it was so adorable! One of the issues I think I have with Sasuke is having him freak too much. He's usually all cool and stuff**

 **I do sorta like this chapter because it had lots of Character development for Ice. I felt really happy doing that. It kinda makes me sad… No, this is not a OC dies and makes Sasuke stay in village nonsense. If it was, it would be tragedy. Ice does not die… At least, for as far as I have planned. Not really a spoiler, but whatever. But this wolf stuff is leading to something!**

 **Have a good day/night!**


	18. Chapter 17

**(Sorry for the fake update, just some spelling corrections)**

 **I am going to try to get the next few chapters up quickly. I have more study halls now that the second semester is about! Or… Never mind… I just got them taken away… XD**

* * *

Sasuke remained stiff and uncomfortable, but didn't move. This was the complete opposite of what he feared. He almost wished she ate him instead of sitting there and _hugging_ him. But deep inside, Sasuke enjoyed it. Like a deep need was fulfilled. He pushed this away, however, as him not thinking straight due to the last few days.

"…can you let go now?"

"…"

"Iiiiiiiccccceeee…" Sasuke was starting to get nervous. He had already been caught in an awkward situation with Ice, and didn't want it to happen again. He didn't think Ice meant it that way- she seemed too innocent and clueless to _like_ him. But that didn't mean Naruto would let it go.

"We need to get back… And Naruto is never going to let me sleep again if he finds you clinging to me like a burr… And I still haven't forgiven you for the tickling incident!"

Ice pulled away.

"It wasn't my fault! Naruto told me to do it!" Ice whined.

"Correction: _bribed_ you."

Ice growled and crossed her arms.

"Shut up, prick."

Sasuke's frown grew bigger.

"When did you get so brave?"

Ice looked surprised as well. _…. I hate you._

 _ **It's not my fault.**_

Sasuke grabbed his two water canteens and began walking away.

"Come on, mutt."

Ice's head snapped up at his voice, and she followed him through the woods. She kept her eyes fixed on his back, deep in thought the whole way through.

She still hadn't regained her full hearing, but she could hear a lot better than before. This made her feel a bit more relaxed than she had been.

"You shouldn't do that."

Ice stopped and went tense. That voice was not Sakura or Naruto, yet it came from where they were.

Sasuke heard it too, yet not as well as Ice did.

"Hey… Did you hear something?"

Ice nodded slowly. _So much for security, meh…._

"I don't know who it is… They sound slightly familiar, but I don't have my full hearing yet, so I can't tell who it is. It's not one of our two, though…" _I could hardly make out the words._

"Damn. Did they sound hostile?"

"Y-yeah… A little…"

"Guess we have no choice…" Sasuke started to run forward.

"Wait! Shouldn't we hide to survey the situation!" Ice called, but Sasuke ignored her.

 _Damn! I don't want to fight anymore…_

Ice, instead of following him directly, circled around so she could come in from the other side of the clearing. She peaked out of the bushes, unsure of what was happening.

Kabuto was standing by Sakura and Naruto, explaining something. He didn't look hostile, and Naruto still had the scroll in his hand.

Ice's eyes narrowed. Now she was upwind of the clearing, and Kabuto's scent was hauntingly familiar. She didn't have the skill to pick it apart entirely, but she had smelled it before. It reminded her of deep underground.

 _How come I never noticed this before? He smells the same as he did at the beginning, but now that smell gives me the chills. When did I smell something like that… I don't like this guy… Why are they so calm around him? We can't trust him… Or anyone else. Only ourselves if we want to get through this…_

Sasuke asked something, and Kabuto turned to him to reply.

"It's not like I'm after your scroll."

"True. If you were you would have taken it from Naruto then and been done with it. So… You're after the heaven scroll?" Sasuke asked.

"No, I already have both of them." Kabuto pulled out both a heaven and earth scroll briefly, long enough for them to see before he put them back in his pocket.

"I'm on my way to the tower to meet up with my teammates."

Ice felt a shiver go up her spine.

 _ **Don't trust him!**_

 _I know… He don't give me a good feeling… But what am I supposed to do about it?_

 _ **Go out there and take him out, and take his scrolls.**_

 _I can't just do that, he would kill me… I'm just going to keep quiet and watch him… And be ready, I guess. If he has both his scrolls, he can't really want to harm us, right?_

 _ **That means little more than a raindrop in a storm. Those sound nin weren't after scrolls, were they?**_

 _No… But he helped us at the beginning. I'm not saying he's trustworthy, I'm saying we aren't his goal._

 _ **Listen to me!**_ The voice snapped, making her flinch. She felt a familiar pull in her neck. Ice gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. _No! I know what you're trying to do! Stop It!_

 _ **You insolent fogdÿol, if you don't do something I will! We are one, don't you remember?!**_

 _That doesn't mean you can control me! So stop it!_

 _ **You can't sit here like a whelp. I know why you won't let your own will take over. Because of Sasuke. Because your scared of him. Scared he'll figure out our secret?**_

Ice paused for a moment. _No… I don't want to be a monster… I don't… Want… I don't want to be a monster, in front of him or anyone else!_

 _ **Wolves are not monsters, you know that! Humans are! Wolves are honorable, humble, they only kill if they need to. Humans are plagued by greed, dishonor, pride. They kill just because they CAN!**_ A strong wave of pain hit Ice, and she struggled to stay upright. Cold chakra was being released from the crescent marks.

 _I don't care, they aren't all like that!_

 _ **Don't try to lie! You saw it just before, the darkness in his eyes. The smile on his face as he broke his enemies arms. You know! It's basic human nature, to be the most savage predator of all! They hunt us, despise us! Stop acting like a pup and get it done!**_

 _You stop acting like a pup! I… I can't just go out there and attack him, so just stop! I'm going to act how I need to, whether that be human or wolf!_ Ice was surprised by how firm she was in her decision, how angry she felt. Maybe it was because this other part of her was also filled with rage. She was also surprised by the disappearance of the pain in her neck.

 _ **Fine. Have it your way. But if something happens, that I don't like, I will return. And no shackles in this world will keep my will from being set free.**_

Ice sighed in relief.

Looking back up, Ice noticed everyone had gone tense, and Sasuke was glaring at Kabuto. _Did something happen?_

"… You aren't as cold hearted as you say. If you were, you would have attacked without warning." Kabuto said.

Sasuke looked down, his hand tense.

 _What's going on? Was Sasuke asking for a fight or something? No… Maybe? I don't know…_

"I don't dislike you for that, so I'll tell you the path you should take. But I'll tell you as we move. The smell of the fire will attract many unwanted enemies, beast and ninja."

"Yeah, hold on. Ice, come here!" Sasuke called, looking behind him. He expected Ice to be there, but she wasn't.

"Over here."

Sasuke looked the opposite direction, where Ice had just crawled out from under some bushes. _Sneaky bastard. Smart though. If that lead to a confrontation, she could have supported from there._

Ice was glaring at Kabuto, green eyes narrowed. One of her fangs poked from under her lip.

"Whoa, why do you look like that?" Naruto asked, tilting his head.

Sasuke blinked slowly. _There's something… Off. Just like before… It's in her eyes… Something…_

Ice didn't want to start talking, but she did anyways, involuntarily. Like someone else was talking for her.

"I don't know what you're after… But if you hurt my teammates… You'll have to deal with me." Her voice was a rough growl.

"Hey, what are you talking about?" Naruto asked. "He's our friend! He's helped us! Stop being so paranoid, shesh."

Ice looked away.

Kabuto smiled. "Hey, don't worry, I'm here to help you guys. I don't need your scroll or anything. Now we should get going."

Kabuto jumped up to the nearest tree branch, and so did Naruto and Sakura. Sasuke followed close behind, glancing back at Ice to make sure she was coming.

Ice's eyes were fixed on Kabuto the entire way. She had a light feeling in her stomach, and regretted her previous actions, but her feelings of distrust never faded. Just looking at him made her want to snarl… Just like Orochimaru. They couldn't have any connection though, Kabuto being a leaf ninja and all. (Bold statement XD)

Sasuke moved so he was next to her.

"I don't like him either." He said quietly.

Ice looked over at him. "Huh?" Her ears pricked forward.

"He's too nice. Keep an eye on him."

Ice growled softly and looked at Kabuto again.

"I don't think we should follow him. He could be leading us into a trap…"

"I don't know, but he did help us at the beginning. So that doesn't mean he's completely untrustworthy. He's just sketchy. Just keep your guard up."

Sasuke moved ahead until he was behind Kabuto.

"Hey, are there really enemies left?"

"No doubt about it. Do you know the smartest fighting tactic in a jungle like this? There is only one day left, so the best place to get scrolls is near the tower."

"Oh! I see, an ambush!" Sakura nodded.

"So we go after a team who has both scrolls and is also going for the tower!"

"Oh I get it! Yeah!" Naruto said, crossing his arms and nearly running into a tree.

"You're one-third correct. You see, we aren't the only ones thinking that. There are others in your situation, waiting with traps set."

"Oh, so there's lots of enemies waiting for us! Hah! It's even more exciting!" Naruto yelled!

Ice felt a tremble go down her back. _Damn… This is looking bad… We have no choice but to fight. The element of surprise is lost, now that it's so late in the test._

"Bring it on! If we kick their asses and get the heaven scroll, be pass, believe it!"

"Kabuto, what's the rest?" Sakura asked.

"People I like to call collectors."

"Collectors?"

"Even though the tower is right in front of their eyes… the difficult test breeds them. They collect extra scrolls, in case they run into a powerful enemy and need a gift to ensure escape. Or those who try to get favor and information by delivering another scroll to another team. Or they pick off other teams to make it easier during the third exam."

Sasuke smirked. "I see why your helping us. Your scared."

Kabuto looked back and smiled. "Exactly."

As they continued, Ice could see the tower in the distance. The sky was getting darker and darker, and the crickets had started chirping.

"Now we can finally see the tower… From now on, we need to be careful."

…

Ice was getting increasingly frustrated and exhausted at the same time. They had been walking for hours, yet the tower didn't look any closer. The moon was now high in the sky, a white gleam between the trees.

Ice was also getting more uneasy by the second. Not only that, but she felt off, like a fog clouding her brain and messing with her senses. On top of that, she had a creepy feeling like she was being watched.

Sakura collapsed in front of her, breathing hard.

"Sakura?" Naruto turned to Sakura, looking concerned. Though the hyperactive shinobi would never admit it, he was growing tired too.

"How long have we been walking? We aren't getting closer to the tower at all…" Sakura whined.

 _That's true… Not to mention, the forest looks exactly the same… Wait…_

"Hey, Sasuke?"

"What."

Ice pointed to a rotted tree stump a little ways away. A mushroom grew out of the top of it.

"Im pretty sure I've seen that stump before. Have you? The forest looks the same as it did a few hours ago, stump included. I don't know if it's just me, but-"

Sasuke sighed frustratedly and cut her off "You have a point. This isn't normal… I _have_ seen that stump before." His eyes narrowed. _Is this… Genjustsu?_

"Nah, there's plenty off stumps around here. Looks like just any other stump to me!" Naruto said.

Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose. "Looks like we already found our welcoming party. We have totally fallen into a trap. The enemy used our worries to their advantage and had us walking in circles."

Ice glared at Kabuto, trying to read him. _Or you led us into a trap and you won't say it._

"They are watching us…" Sasuke's head turned, his eyes dark. Ice noticed he took a small, almost unnoticeable step towards her.

She grabbed her weapon pouch, feeling a deep anxiety and tension. Her chest and stomach turned into a solid knot. _Why!? Why us?! Well… I guess it's obvious… But why can't someone just drop a heaven scroll by accident and we find it?! Meh, pretty rare but… Just why… I don't like this._

"They are probably looking to tire us out, and use that opportunity to get us." Kabuto informed.

"Then it's going just as they planned." Sasuke grunted. He was getting more and more pissed. His shoulder hurt, and he wasn't full of energy either. And now he had been walking and walking towards a tower that never got any closer. He had a strong, unhealthy urge to stab something. And that something was going to be the people who forced him through this in the first place.

Kabuto moved his glasses again. "Since their plan is working, they should be ready to attack…"

"Yeah…"

Naruto bolted to his feet. "Woah, shit! Then we sh-"

"Shut up!" Sakura demanded, while simultaneously shushing him.

Ice's ears swiveled around in an attempt to locate their foes. The sharp movements made them ache slightly.

She jumped and turned when she picked up a small tap above her left side. Her eyes almost couldn't comprehend what she saw.

It was slowly emerging from a tree branch, the bark surrounding it becoming distorted as if it were an image on rippling water. It was a shinobi in all black, with a mask that covered his mouth and a rain village headband.

He wasn't the only one, either. There were many more emerging, and they all looked exactly alike. Sakura gasped in surprise behind her.

Ice clenched her teeth tightly to keep from making a scared whimper. _There's… So many… How are we supposed to fight them off?!_

Her legs began shaking without her noticing. _Crap…_

"So… They emerge. Well, Naruto? You wanted a fight." Sasuke chuckled.

"Hah, this is the perfect handicap!" Naruto said loudly. Ice felt a tinge of frustration. _How can they still be fine when we are being surrounded by… Those… Stranger danger!_ (I had to, okay XD)

"What are they?" Sakura asked, looking around nervously.

"Clones, by the look of it. And a whole lot of em." Kabuto answered.

One of the clones leaned forward. "Hehehe… Like cornered rats!"

Naruto growled and leaped towards the clone.

"Like cornered rats, are we!"

Naruto punched the clone hard in the gut.

"Way to go Naruto! That's showing them!"

Naruto's cocky smirk faded into confusion as his fist went through the clone, the once solid object turning into a thick, black liquid. Naruto slammed onto the ground.

Ice's ears went stiff in surprise. _What?! How… It must really be genjutsu…_

The part of the clone that didn't turn into mush slumped as another head sprouted from gaping hole that Naruto's fist left, soon turning into the upper half of a body. It held a double-Kunai in both hands.

 _What are they?! Ngh, I'll figure it out! Sharingan!_

Sasuke's eyes went from onyx black to deep red as the Sharingan activated.

The new body moved towards Naruto, who was still getting up. It aimed the Kunai at him, ready to stab his back.

"Naruto! Watch out!" Sasuke yelled, throwing multiple shuriken at the half-clone. They took off the arm, which also turned into black goo.

The two clone body's slowly turned to Sasuke, the new one raising its other arm and flinging the second Kunai at him.

Sasuke prepared to jump, but he felt a sudden paralysis spread from his neck to all his body. He struggled to break free of it as the Kunai rocketed towards him.

Ice saw Sasuke's body lock up. _Dammit, why isn't he moving!?_

Ice felt a fear so strong she moved without thinking. But instead of running away, she ran _towards_ him, and threw herself at him so he fell over. The Kunai nicked her shoulder as both she and Sasuke fell into one big lump on the ground.

"Ngggghhhh…" Sasuke felt another wave of pain stretch from his neck, and a surge of anger. _Why the hell did she do that?! She… Dammit, mutt!_

"I can… Take care of myself… Mind your own business!" Sasuke winced as another wave of pain passed.

Ice look down at him, seemingly surprised at first, then annoyed.

"Obviously not." She muttered a little too loud.

"What was that!?"

Ice flinched and got up quickly, placing her hand over her arm. The sting made her feel slightly dizzy. "Now's not the time!" _I need to watch my mouth… Ever since stupid mind wolf showed up, I have been gaining some sass I don't like…_ Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he noticed her shoulder.

Kabuto ran over to where the Kunai had hit the ground and yanked it out, examining it closely, then looking at Ice's shoulder.

"There's no doubt about it, this is real."

The mass of clones started moving closer. "Surrender your scroll."

They all began saying it, their voices rising into a single, ominous note.

Naruto pulled out a Kunai.

"The cut on Ice's arm is real enough, so does that mean they are shadow clones? But shadow clones go away when you give 'em a good hit. So is this genjutsu? Which is it? Damn it!"

As Naruto prepared to attack, Sasuke shot up. "No, don't! It's useless! They are illusions… This is an enemy genjutsu!"

"B-but… Ice's cut is real…" Sakura shuddered.

Kabuto sighed and put the double Kunai down. "No, Sasuke is right. The enemy must be hiding and matching their movements with the clones, making it seem like the illusions are attacking."

"Then lets find the idiots throwing the Kunai and kick their asses!" Naruto yelled in reply.

"But this confuses where the Kunai are coming from and prevents us from accurately locating them. Which is what they planned to do. This kind of enemy prefers this method of attack. They are weak at taijutsu and close quarters fighting and need to use illusions to attack. They won't show themselves… Until we can no longer move." Kabuto sighed.

Naruto smirked. "Alright… If that's their plan…"

One of the clones attacked the blonde ninja with a Kunai, forcing him to jump over it. "Woah!"

The clones all attacked, and Ice felt overwhelmed fast. It made her extremely stressed to not have a clear escape route, and she could hardly focus on defending herself. She was far faster and more agile than her foes, but the sheer amount of them got to her and caused her to act somewhat clumsily. She eventually moved around their arms and jumped away, short of breath.

The others had avoided injury as well. Sakura yelled out in fustration.

"There's no end to this!"

"Then I'll do this!" Naruto put his hands together, ready to preform jutsu.

"Wait, Naruto! Don't waste you chakra! Attacking them is useless. You'll only-"

"If I take out all the illusions, then they're will be nowhere for the enemy to hide! Shadow clone Jutsu!"

Naruto went up in a puff of smoke, and it cleared to reveal many, many Naruto. They all lunged at the clones, attacking them savagely.

For a few moments, the clones seemed overwhelmed. Then more seemingly appeared from nowhere, crawling from the ground and out of the trees. The extra clones attacked the rest of them, forcing them all into action.

...

The fighting lasted all throughout the night, and the sun was beginning to rise when the last Naruto was kicked across the clearing. He skidded across the ground before coming to a stop in front of his teammates and Kabuto, who were also down on their knees.

They were covered in dirt, sweat, and scratches, and were clearly in no condition to keep fighting any further.

"Enough, Mubi." A voice commanded. "The sun is rising, it's time to go in for the kill."

The illusions began to fade, revealing the three rain ninja behind it all. The one was the same one that had attacked the team at the beginning of the exams.

The familiar ninja turned to Sasuke. "Hey, you're the guy who cut my shoulder. You really messed me up. Now, I finally get to pay you back, with interest!"

"We'll see about that."

It was Sasuke's voice, but it didn't come from Sasuke. It, instead, came from behind the rain ninja.

And behind these rain ninja stood Sasuke and his team, along with Kabuto. They were not beaten up like their copies were, and even Ice looked confident.

"Your plan worked perfectly, Naruto." Sakura said.

"What! How!"

The copies of the leaf ninja went up in smoke, revealing Naruto's shadow clones.

"Heh, got ya! I used my shadow clone Jutsu as a diversion and transformed into the whole team!"

Sasuke let out an amused grunt at the astonishment on the rain ninja's faces. "And while Naruto became us, we hid. You genjutsu users got a taste of your own medicine."

Naruto was about to lunge forward to attack, but his leg gave out on him, forcing him to his knees.

"Ngh…"

"Don't worry, you used up enough Chakra. I'll take care of the rest." Sasuke said.

Naruto looked up briefly before getting back up and lunging at the rain ninja, ignoring Sasuke altogether. He punched the one to the left with all his power, sending the shinobi crashing into his teammates.

"I'm damn sick of you always stealing the juicy parts!" Naruto panted.

 _And I'm damn sick of you and Sasuke always having a competition…_ Ice thought to herself. _Wait… There it is again… When did I get this?_

"Hey, we aren't done yet. We still have some time left. It's time we showed you our ninjutsu."

The three rain ninja preformed rapid hand signs before splitting into a hoard of rain ninja.

Ice growled. _Too. Many. Clones. Why can't they just fight? I don't like fights, but I don't start them either. So they start a fight but don't want to actually fight themselves? This is bordering on the ridiculous side now…_

"Shadow clone?" Naruto asked, looking around.

"No, they are normal clones, by the look of it. Be careful, there has to be some sort of trick to it."

Naruto laughed smugly. "Heh, if that's the case, then I'll have to blast my way through them till I find the ones that squeal."

Sasuke growled in annoyance. "No Naruto, that won't work. W-"

"I told you to stay out of this!"

Naruto ran at the clones and started attacking them, punching and kicking nonstop. Kabuto sighed and went after him.

Ice felt her body tense up. _It's amazing that he can still fight like that, but… Meh, what do we do?_

Ice looked over at Sasuke, who had one eye closed. He was shaking ever so slightly.

 _Sasuke? What's… It's your neck… that must be what was bothering you before…_

Sasuke grabbed his shoulder absentmindedly. _Whenever I try to use my Sharingan, my neck starts to hurt. Maybe I used up too much chakra?_

Naruto kept going through the clones, none of his attacks working.

"Naruto, stop!" Kabuto yelled, but to no avail.

"Could it be that they are all clones? Or is it genjutsu again?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke raised his left hand, trying to summon the last of his chakra. The effort left him panting, but he kept trying, pushing away the throb in his neck. _I… Need to… Use… The Last if my… Chakra…_

"Sasuke… Stop, your just going to make your-"

"Shut up, mutt." Sasuke growled through gritted teeth.

Sasuke closed his eyes, then opened them again, activating the Sharingan.

The ninja clones turned into blue energy, chakra. All the ninja around Naruto were just clear chakra, nothing more. As he was looking around, he felt a sudden pain in his neck that felt like someone stabbed it, and his vision went white.

Sasuke cried out and fell to his knees, gripping his shoulder tightly.

"Sasuke!" Sakura said, looking over.

Ice ran to his side and kneeled down by him, feeling light from fear. _Sasuke! Hnnn…. I hope this is going to turn out okay…_

"Sasuke, you need to stop using your Sharingan…" Ice whispered urgently. "It's making that mark get worse…"

Sasuke looked up at her, the pain he was going through showing in his eyes. "I said shut up… I don't have a choice…"

Sasuke slowly turned to where Naruto was. Ice was shocked to see Kabuto on the ground, bleeding from his leg. _Maybe… Maybe he is on our side… Oh no…_

Naruto was about to attack again when Sauske shouted to him.

"Naruto don't! They are all fake, the real ones are hiding somewhere."

"Then where are they!?"

"If I knew that, I would have said!" Sasuke snapped.

Ice heard a rustle in the bushes behind her, and turned to see many clones waiting to attack. Ice leapt to her feet, her mind first saying run away but then remembering that if she did, Sasuke would be left vulnerable.

Ice began to panic, pulling out a Kunai and holding it out In font of her, unsure of what to do. The clones advanced on her, but she remembered attacking them was not an option.

The clones all lunged at once, but Ice didn't move. Her eyes caught something on the ground to her right and she turned to it, stabbing at it with her Kunai. Surprisingly, she hit something. But whatever she hit had a knife in his hand as well, and jerked his arm down in pain, burying the Kunai in her thigh. Ice let out a strangled Yelp and kicked at her foe, pulling her own Kunai out of his shoulder. He went crashing into the woods and seemed to disappear.

Sasuke looked at where he had disappeared, still grabbing his shoulder. "… Where did he come from…. Ice?"

Ice was on her knees, shaking. Blood had already begun to seep into the surrounding clothing, staining it red. Ice pulled the Kunai out, tears coming to her eyes from the pain. Looking at the wound made her feel nauseous and dizzy, and the deep pain didn't help.

"Hey, what happened to you?"

Ice flinched and turned around to face Sasuke. She kept her thigh facing away from him. "It nothing…" _It's not that deep… We have to worry about them right now._

Sasuke glared at her for a few seconds before turning back to Naruto. Kabuto was still on the ground, and Naruto continued to attack nearby clones.

Kabuto groaned and started to slowly get up. Unfortunately, the three rain ninja began emerging from the ground, ready to attack.

It was too late for anyone to warn the gray-haired ninja as a rain ninja slashed him across the face, from the corner of his mouth across the bridge of his nose. Kabuto yelled in pain before hitting the ground again, his glasses bouncing across the earth with a clack.

"Kabuto!"

The rain ninja loomed over him, ready to give him a killing blow, when they suddenly stopped. This gave Naruto time to smash into the ninja with all his weight, knocking the him to the ground. He then attacked the other two ninja, knocking both uncouncious.

"Heh, never create an opening, right?" He panted, rubbing his mouth.

"Thanks, you saved me there." Kabuto said with a smile.

"Good job Naruto!" Sakura yelled, waving her arm.

Ice tilted her head, staring hard at Kabuto. _Why did that rain ninja stop so suddenly. He looked scared… Meh… Even though that Kabuto guy helped us a lot, I still don't really trust him…_

"Hey, I found it! I found It! I found a heaven scroll! Yeah! Whoooooooo!" Naruto began jumping up and down like he hadn't just fought for hours, holding said scroll in his hand.

Kabuto began walking towards Sasuke and Ice, and Ice glared at him hard. She moved just slightly closer to Sasuke, causing him to protest with his arm.

Kabuto pointed at Sasuke's neck. "What is that, a bruise? It looks like a really bad injury."

"It's nothing." Sasuke covered it with his hand, staring deep into Kabuto's eyes. _Something is off… Ice was right. I don't know if I should like this guy or not…_

…

They arrived at the tower by the time the sun was up. The birds chirped in the early morning breeze, making it seem like the night had never happened.

Ice knew it had happened, however, by the agonizing pain in her leg. She had took a piece of her already ripped shirt sleeve and wrapped it around the wound, but that didn't fix the already blood stained pant leg. Luckily, no one had noticed yet. Ice stayed at the back of the group for that reason. She just wanted to get this exam done and over with so she could go back to her comforting tree and rest.

Kabuto found his teammates there, and went with them, leaving the rookies alone. Ice was relieved. Kabuto wasn't a threat- as far as she knew- anymore.

Naruto pushed open the wooden doors, and ran inside eagerly, followed by Sakura. Sasuke followed him slowly, with Ice trailing him.

The room inside was very large, and every footstep echoed though the building. There was a large board with writing on the wall. Ice didn't bother to read it, being too tired.

"Hey… It looks like it's missing some words?" Naruto said, pointing to the two blank spots.

"It probably has something to do with the scrolls. We should open them now." Sakura said, pulling out the earth scroll. Naruto walked over to her, taking the heaven scroll from his pocket.

Sasuke and Ice looked on as they prepared to open the two scrolls. Ice felt a sudden tension in the air. _This is it…_

* * *

 **Ugh, this was terrible. The fight felt so anti-climatic. But who cares, at least I finished early. I have been playing Shantae lately, and even though it's fun AF it's also hard. Emulators can be rough…**

 **I haven't gotten any reviews… And it bothers me. What am I doing wrong? I was hoping that on the internet I would not be an outcast like I am in school, and I'm not, but it's not fun seeing new fanfictions that aren't even good get more reviews than mine does. Hell, I like criticism. I'm here to improve and entertain in the process, and I don't know if I'm doing either of those… Oh well, time to go watch The new Naruto episode… At 1:16 in the morning XD**


	19. Chapter 18

**I added a new chapter to the beginning, so current readers need to go to the new ch.1!**

 **S** **orry this took forever. Stuff went unexpectedly bad… Why are people jerks? If people could spread love like they do hate the world would be so much better :/**

 **Hello peoplez XD**

 **I noticed that this is going really slowly. I guess it's because I'm losing some motivation and I'm having a tough time elsewhere, but that's not an excuse… I'll try to clean that up. Also, I made a one-shot about Deidara, if any of you have time could you go check it out? I have no idea what it even is… I just wrote… But on the art debate between Sasori and Deidara, I agree with Sasori, even if I find Deidara comically arrogant. I don't want my drawings to explode… Fire hazard much?**

 **Also, I feel like I'm taking too much from Sakura… Just know Ice is not a Sakura ripoff, and although they may have some similar emotions, they are very different. At this point, Ice isn't really se**

 **eking Sasuke out romantically, but as a role model and best friend. This maaaaaaay change *** **laughs evilly** *** or who knows? Maybe someone else will decide to get that part of the story going.**

 **Kiyo: stop looking at me, I'm not involved.**

* * *

Naruto and Sakura' hands shook as they slowly peeled the scrolls back, revealing the contents.

The scrolls contained intricate circles twirling around the paper, creating a dizzying pattern. The scrolls began to smoke.

"Naruto, Sakura, let go of the scrolls! It's a summoning Jutsu!"

Sakura chucked hers immediately, while Naruto yelled out a loud what and shuffled it before copying Sakura. The scrolls went up in smoke as they hit the ground.

Ice took a step back, her stomach twisting. _But… What did we do wrong! Wait a minute… That's…._

The cloud of smoke slowly cleared, revealing a very familiar sensei with a scar across his nose.

"Hey. Long time no see."

Ice blinked a few times before growling nervously. _Is this another one of his tricks… Like when he attacked me before?_

Naruto looked back and forth, royally dumbfounded.

"W-what's going on!" Sakura asked.

Iruka looked them all over. "Hmmm, looks like you had some trouble."

"Huh, huh? Why was Iruka Sensei summoned?"

"At the end of the second exam it's set up so that us Chunnin meet up with the test takers. And I was allowed to greet the four of you."

"Greet… Us?"

Iruka pulled out a watch from his pocket, flipping it open. "Phew, made it just in time." He smiled warmly.

"The second test… You all pass. Congratulations! Normally teams of four have more difficulty and don't make it, so I'm relieved. To celebrate your completion of the second test, I'd like to buy you a round of ramen, but-huh? Umph!"

Naruto leaped and grabbed Iruka in a cheerful hug. "WE DIIIIIIIID IIIIIIIIITTTTT! WHOOOOOOOO!"

The three other Genin dropped to the floor, exhausted. Ice sighed and closed her eyes, ears drooping. _I can't wait till I can get back to my safe tree and sleep and take care of my leg…_

Iruka tried to say something, but was drowned out by Naruto's excited yelling. "We did it we did it we did it we did it WE. DID. IT! Yaaaaay!" The blonde began jumping up and down, shouting.

Sasuke glared at him. "He certainly has energy…" He muttered. _He's far to loud and annoying. Hn, he's such a loser…_

"Hah, you sure haven't changed in your inability to relax." Iruka said, a sweat drop slowly going down his face.

Sasuke smirked. "Heh, I see…" His eyes slowly turned to Naruto, his expression turning into a creepy one that said, in the intricate language of the Uchiha, "if you had opened that scroll I would have slowly killed you with a rusty pole". (That's how I describe the face he makes in the manga… XD) " If we had opened the scrolls during the test, what would you have done?"

"Sharp as always, Sasuke." Iruka picked up one of the scrolls. "As you may have figured out, the test is set to test your ability to carry out missions correctly. So if you were to break the rules and opened the scrolls… you would be put in an unconscious state for the rest of the exam. Those were orders."

"Good thing you didn't open it, Naruto." _I swear, dobe, if you had opened that scroll I would have shoved my foot so far up your ass you would be puking your intestines._

Naruto sighed in relief. "Kabuto, thanks so much…"

"Ummm… Iruka sensei?" Ice looked up. "Say, if we did open the scroll and you came, but we beat _you_ uncouncious, what would happen?" Ice's voice held a small amount of confidence to it for once. _Meh, I don't care what anyone says, I'm pretty sure I can kick his ass. I'm still pissed at him for attacking me… Mer._

Iruka looked surprised.

"Did… You just say that? Ahem… Well, normally that wouldn't happen… But you would have still broke the rules… So…"

"But you would have failed _your_ duty. Just like your supposed to protect us… It's a load of bear dung…" Ice muttered bitterly.

Iruka rubbed the back of his neck. "Huh. What got into you? You're… Different."

"The only thing different is that I'm mad at you." Ice's ears went back.

"Why?!"

"Don't ask why, you attacked me!"

"No! That wasn't me..."

"Stop playing fake, you piece of fox sh*t."Ice growled.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _Why was Iruka attacking Ice? And she's pissed. I think this is the most pissed I've seen her be in a while, hn._

Sakura pointed up at the wall. "Excuse me Sensei, but what does the writing on the wall mean? It seems like there is a word missing. We can't figure it out."

Ice looked up. Without reading the words, she could clearly see a gap in the writing.

"Who the hell cares! We passed!" Naruto yelled.

"No… I'm here to explain that too. Calm down Naruto. Read it. This is the motto of the Chunnin written by the hokage himself."

"Motto?" Naruto repeated cluelessly.

"Yeah. The "heaven" in this paragraph refers to the mind, and the "earth" refers to the body. "If you lack heaven, seek wisdom, be prepared." So, for example…" Iruka pointed at his head. "Naruto's weakness is his brain, gain knowledge and prepare yourself or the missions."

Naruto crossed his arms while Sakura held in laughter. "Who asked you?" The blonde muttered crossly.

"And, "If you lack earth, run in the fields, seek advantages." So if Sakura's weakness is stamina, then it's saying you must continue to train hard."

Sakura laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head. _Cha! Why'd he have to chose me?_

"And if you have both heaven and earth…" Iruka continued. "You can succeed in even the most dangerous missions."

"Then… What's the missing part?"

Iruka flipped open one of the scrolls.

"So… The words that represent a Chunnin. The "person" word from the scrolls goes there. The last scentence is "these rules will guide a persons extremes." These five days were to test the exam takers basic ability required to become a chuunin. And you guys successfully passed that. Chunnin are at the rank of a military captain. You have the responsibility of guiding a team… The knowledge, stamina and inner wisdom are all needed for your duties. I want you guys to take the next challenge with this motto in mind. That's… All I have to pass on to you."

"Rodger!" Naruto yelled.

Ice tilted her head slightly. _That was…. A bit much to take in at once…_

Iruka's expression went suddenly dark. "But… This third and final test… Don't push yourselves too hard… especially you Naruto. I worry that-"

Naruto cut off Iruka."From the moment I received this leaf headband, I'm no longer an academy student! There is no need to worry! And this symbol is a sign that I'm all grown up, right? The part about me being hyper may not have changed, but I'm not a kid anymore! Now… I'm a ninja!"

Ice looked from Naruto to Iruka. _He's right… He has grown since the beginning… I wish I could say the same about me…_ Ice looked down. _I've gotten worse… Getting more and more cowardly by the day…_

Iruka looked a little sad, but a soft smile soon crept onto his face. His eyes were filled with regret and happiness. "Your right… I'm sorry Naruto." The teacher said quietly.

…

They were led to another room where the rest of the second exam passers were gathered. The room was large, with a beat up floor and a raised platform going around three of the walls. Two screens were on the back wall, completely black. Between these screens was a large statue of two arms preforming a ninja hand sign.

Ice was surprised by the number of teams present. From what they she gone though, she would expect much less passers. She could see all the rookie teams, as well as Lee's team and Gaaras. Ice looked down as the sand shinobi looked her way. But Gaara wasn't looking at _her,_ he was glaring at Sasuke. Sasuke glared back. He flinched suddenly, grabbing his shoulder tightly. "Heh… I can't say I'm getting a good feeling." _Dammit, why won't this pain go away?_

Ice noticed this. A deep worry sank into her gut. _Is… He okay? It's that mark… What if it gets worse? Or… What if he loses control again… I'm scared…_

Ice felt a shiver go through her body and an upset nausea followed. She hesitated before reaching out and slightly brushing Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke stiffened, causing Ice to pull her hand away rapidly. The Uchiha then slowly turned to face her.

"….what…"

"It's…. Your shoulder… Is it okay?"

"It's none of your concern."

Ice looked down.

"I know, but… I'm scared you'll..."

Sasuke took a deep breath, his eyes losing their sharpness. _Dammit…_

"Don't be. Just forget it."

Ice looked up. "You don't get it. I can't… It's not an enemy or a threat, it's _you_ … I…" She grabbed her arm, fearing his anger.

Sauske just huffed and turned away. _I don't know what to tell you, Ice. This is my path, not yours. I can't let you closer. We shouldn't have become friends in the first place… I'm an avenger…. I can't have bonds like that… Or can I?_

Ice blinked, surprised by his silence. _Is he not mad at me? Or… I don't know. I'm still scared… but I need to drop it or he's gonna snap at me._

"Listen up!"

Ice's head snapped up at Anko's commanding voice. The hokage, along with many others stood in the front of the room.

The hokage cleared his throat before beginning. "I would like you all to know something. It's about the true meaning of this exam. Why do we have all the allied countries taking this test together? This exam is… A replacement for war. Before we begin, I wish to tell you another thing. This is not just a test… this is a life risking battle, with your dreams and your country's prestige on the line."

"I don't care what it is. Just hurry up and tell us the details." Gaara growled. Ice shuddered at his sandy voice.

"Actually…*cough*. I apologize Lord third."

A sickly looking man appeared in a small puff of smoke. He had messy black hair and droopy eyes, and his voice was raspy and weak. _He doesn't look healthy._

"From here in, as the referee… Will you allow me, Gekkou Hayate…"

"By all means." The hokage said, nodding.

"Hello everyone. I'm Hayate. Before the third test, there's something I need you to do."

 _I just want to go home and sleep… wait, why are they acting like we are going take this test now!?_

"Ummm… It's a preliminary for the third test. To decide who gets to go onto the finals."

 _A what now?_ Ice scratched her ear. _It doesn't sound too good, though…_

"Preliminary?! What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked, quite loudly.

Sakura looked past Naruto's shoulder. "Sensei, I don't understand, but… why aren't all us here allowed to participate in the next test?"

"It seems the first two test were-cuauff (my best try at a coughing sound…) a bit too easy this year. We have too many people remaining. According to the rules, we must hold a preliminary and reduce the number of participants for the next test."

Ice grabbed the rim of her shirt. _No… Why can't we just get one with it! Why make it more complicated and difficult for us than needed. Meh, I hate this. And my life. I just want to watch the world slowly burn now…._

Sasuke huffed. _Really? Stupid… I just want to get on with this… Hn._ Sasuke turned his head slightly, feeling something was in a foul mood. He could practically see a dark cloud hanging over Ice's head. (Think of it like when someone is really mad in an anime and you can't see their eyes, and they have a black cloud over their heads. I just had too, I'm sorry XD)

 _Guess I'm not the only one._

"There will be many important guests at the third test. The fights could take too long, and we are limited in time. Ummm… So anyone who doesn't feel up to it, step up now. We will be starting immediately."

"Now? No rest… Right now? No…." Ice's shoulders slumped. _I want to watch HIM burn…_

"What?! Right now!?" Akamaru barked as Kiba yelled.

The room was filled with quiet mumbling.

Ice looked around nervously, catching sight of Kiyo. He had his hands behind his head and was swaying back and forth on his feet, staring ahead with sarcastic impatience.

 _How is he so calm?_ Ice thought frustratedly. _He's just sitting there like he has no worries at all._

Ice was pulled from her mental ranting by Sasuke, who went tense again. Ice looked up,messing his grip on his shoulder tighten in pain.

 _Damn… Not again… it's still bothering him._

"Sasuke…" Sakura had noticed as well. "Listen to me, you have got to quit."

Ice stared on silently. _I want him to quit too, but… For him, which is worse? This pain or the pain of feeling weak… Feeling… Like he can't beat his brother. I don't want to see him hurt, and I'm scared that he might lose control, but at the same time… I don't know what to do._

Sakura continued. " you've been like this ever since you fought with Orochimaru, and it's getting worse. It's… That mark he put on you, isn't it?"

"Mark?" Naruto echoed.

Sasuke's hand formed a fist. Sakura didn't take the sign and kept talking.

"You can't deny it Sasuke. Quit now before…" Sakura wiped away tears from her eyes. "I… Don't know what… Come on, you know as well as I do you're in no condition to keep on fighting."

"Shut up Sakura. That's enough." Sasuke growled. _This mark will not keep me from my goal... I need to make sure I'm as strong as I can be, and keep getting stronger, so I can destroy Itachi and all he stands for. Nothing will stop me from that._

"You think I'm blind or something!"

"That's enough. Will you please be quiet."

"You think I don't see the suffering you're going through? I'm not the only one who sees it too… I'm sure Ice feels the same way!" Sakura looked over at Ice, who looked away, unable to get the courage to say anything for a few breaths.

"I… I'm scared too, but… I don't necessarily agree with you Sakura, I'm sorry… some things hurt more than physical wounds, and it's up to him to decide which is more painful to bear." Ice felt like she wanted to cry too. _I don't want him to fight, but there's nothing I can do but stand here with him, no matter what he decides… That's the way of the wolf, right? No… That's not how it is anymore… It's the way of a friend._

Sakura was taken aback. Ice was sure she saw a glimmer of betrayal in her teammates eye.

"Ice… I'm sorry Sasuke, but… I'm going to tell them about that mark… Maybe then, you'll-"

"Huh?"

Naruto looked over across the room, where a hand was raised. The owner of said hand was none other then Kabuto.

"That's it, you got me. I'm out."

"Kabuto…" Naruto whispered in a disbelieving tone, as if he couldn't take in what he was seeing. Ice was just baffled… And suspicious. _What prompted this? Is he just lazy, or… He said he'd failed this exam many times…_ Ice's ears pricked forward alertly. _So what's the benefit of giving up now? He's not that badly injured… From what I know. I have the feeling his motives were not this exam…_

Hayate began flipping through a notebook. "Ummm… *cough*, you're Kabuto Yakushi from the leaf, right? You may leave now."

"Alright then."

"Wait! Kabuto, it makes no sense, why are you giving up now!?"

"Oh Naruto… My body is just to beat up. I can't hack it. Truth is, ever since the skirmish with the sound ninja at the beginning, I haven't had any hearing in my left ear."

Ice glared at him hard, hoping she'd see something. The only thing she accomplished was a headache.

"I've seen him before… What kind of game is he playing?"

Ice looked up, ears perked. The hokage was talking to Anko, who started flipping through a notebook.

 _Looks like I'm not the only one with suspicions._ Ice sighed. _At least I don't have to worry about it anymore… They will take care of everything. I hope they do, anyway._

"Alright. Is there anyone else who wants to quit? *cough*"

Sakura hesitantly began to raise her hand, before Sasuke caught it by the wrist and forced it down. Ice flinched at the sound of his hand slapping against hers as he did this, and she noticed Sasuke's eyes showed a little guilt and he loosened his grip.

"Don't you even think about it."

Sakura sniffed and held back tears.

"Why are you so stubborn?! I don't get what you're trying to prove! Am I supposed to watch you tear yourself apart?!"

Ice grabbed her headband and wrapped her fingers around the metal plate, nails scratching against the smooth surface. She felt like her chest was being torn apart. _Sasuke… I can't do anything… I don't even have the courage to speak up like Sakura did… It's true it might hurt more for him to quit, but… If I had the strength, the will to change that, to make it so he wouldn't hurt himself… Why am I so weak?! The reason I became a ninja, why I'm trying so hard, is so that I don't just fade away into nothing! I want to do something and be strong, and save the people I care about! But instead I cower and cry… What kind of ninja is that!? For that matter… What kind of wolf am I, if I can't even save my packmates?!_ She closed her eyes and grabbed the headband harder, until her knuckles went white. _I don't deserve this headband…_

"I… I can't bear to watch you suffer like this." Sakura managed, nearly choking on her own words.

"Then don't watch, but stay out of it. This has nothing to do with you." Sasuke let go of her hand.

"I told you before, I'm an avenger. This isn't just a test to me… I don't care about becoming Chunnin. Am I as strong as I can be? I want the answer to that. And to know that I need to fight the strongest, which are here. I cannot forgive anyone, no matter who they are, if they take that away from me."

Ice could feel his gaze burning into her, and wished she could just disappear from the face of the earth. But as she looked up slightly, she found Sasuke's eyes were not as sharp as she had expected them to be. Looking deeper, Ice thought she could feel… Sadness there, of all things. But as soon as she caught a glimpse, it was gone.

Naruto decided it was time to start yelling. "You bastard, stop acting so cool! She's only worried about you, you b-"

"Naruto… You're one of the ones I want to fight the most." Sasuke cut him off, smirking.

"Huh?"

 _He changed the subject…_ Ice shook herself, trying to get rid of the nausea and sick feeling she got from her gut and chest. _Smart… Maybe everything will be okay and we can all just forget this…_

"Hey, yo! Yo, why so gloomy, you made it!"

Ice looked up, instantly forgetting her fears. _Kiyo!_

The brown haired shinobi was waving his arm wildly, to the annoyance of his teammates. "Hey kid, come on. Be happy. You made it this far! You got past the hard part, the rest is easy. Now all you have to do is go "houuuuuuuuuuuuu" and you'll send all your enemies running for the hills, you big bad wolf!"

Ice smiled and rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"Heah… I have the feeling that won't work…"

Kiyo gave her a thumbs up.

"Sure it will. You have freaking fangs and claws! You would be a good Halloween decoration!"

"A what now?"

"How about you shut it. You're drawing attention to us." One of Kiyo's teammates snapped.

"Go shove a pole up your ass." Kiyo replied. Ice put her hand over her mouth and tried to hold in laughter. _I still don't get you Kiyo, but you're great._

"Uhhhhhhh, Ice, who's that guy?" Naruto asked, pointing at him. Ice was unhelpfully reminded of the time Kiyo pointed at him during the first test and called him coo-koo.

"He's my friend, Kiyo. I met him during the first exam." Ice said uncomfortably. She could feel a killer aura being emitted from Sasuke. _I forgot Sasuke hates that guys guts… How can Kiyo annoy someone? He's so nice!_

"You met someone and made a friend? I have trouble believing that."

"Well, Kiyo was really the one who approached me. He's really nice! The nicest person around, if you ask me."

Naruto got an amused look on his face. "Hehe… Awww, does Icy-doggie have a boyfriend?"

Ice's ears twitched. "What's so bad about having a friend? Am I not allowed to have friends?"

Naruto snickered, before glancing at Sasuke(who looked like your everyday serial killer with rabies, mind you XD).

"Wait, I thought there was something going on between you two."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" Sakura growled.

Ice blinked cluelessly. "Huh?"

Sasuke did not like this. "There's nothing going on, asshole."

Naruto gained a sh*t eating grin and stretched his back. "Aw, come on. We all know you have something for Ice-doggie. Admit it."

"There's nothing to admit. Other then plotting your murder."

Naruto elbowed his arm. "Stop acting so tough! You know you like the little Neko."

"I'm not a freaking Neko! Do I look like a cat!?" Ice protested.

"A little." Kiyo yelled.

 _I didn't ask you._

"I can't be the only one who noticed it, right Sakura?"

Sakura looked between Sasuke and Ice. "Ehhhh, I'm sure they are just good friends." (Cha)

Sasuke's eye began twitching, a bad sign. "Who said we were even friends."

"What? I thought we were." Ice said quietly.

"Hah! Stop hiding it, lovebird! You like Ice and hate Kiyo because you're jealous!" Naruto laughed.

"It's not my fault she follows me around like a puppy and I hate Him because he's even more annoying then you are."

"What did I do to you?" Kiyo asked.

"You were pushed out of your mother and didn't die immediately."

"Ow, buuuuuuuuuuurrn!" Kiyo yelled, bringing the attention of just about everyone in the room.

"This guy just roooasted me, guys! We gotta badass over here, yo!"

"I think it's about time I shoved you back up where you came from." Sasuke growled.

"Sasuke, please don't hurt Kiyo…" Ice asked, putting her hands up. _Why can't we be friends?_

"I will hurt, maul, torture and do other horrible things to him as I please."

"But he's my friend!"

"And he's annoying."

"He's nice."

"He's not nice to be nice. He's so ugly and stupid he can't get a girlfriend so he's being nice to you so he can bang you in a dark alley and take away your innocence."

Silence followed Sasuke's statement. Kiyo blinked a few times.

"Uhhhhh, no bro….. That's just wrong. I'm just a nice person. People can't be nice? And I can get a girlfriend any time I want to! Who would want this sexy body!" Kiyo struck a very awkward pose.

"Ewwwww, Sasuke is much more sexy then you." Sakura said.

"Heeeeey, what's so great about him? I'm so much better!"

"Your weird. Sasuke's right, you're probably a pedophile."

Kiyo shook his head. "Why is being nice seen as being a pedophile. I'm better than him, right Ice?"

Ice looked between Sasuke and Kiyo.

"I don't know…"

"Okay, who would you rather live with."

"You. Definitely you."

"What the hell?!" Sasuke asked.

Ice flinched. "You scare me!"

"You're right to be scared, you little shit!"

"Haha, Sasuke got rejected!" Naruto laughed.

"And you are g-"

"Alright, sorry for the delay, let's begin." Hayate said. The room went quiet, with Naruto still snickering and Sasuke glancing at Kiyo and putting his hand over his neck, communicating his desire to kill the brown haired teen.

"Ummm, this preliminary will consist of one on one fighting. You will fight as if it was a real life confrontation. So, we have exactly 22 participants, so we will conduct 11 matches, and *cough*, the winners will proceed to the third exam. There's basically no rules. The fight goes on until one of you dies, gets knocked out, or admits defeat. If you don't want to die, then admit defeat quickly. But if you don't want to forfeit- *cough*- I'll decide when the match is clearly won. We don't want to increase the amount of corpses, so I'll jump in and stop things. The matches will show in the electronic board behind me."

Ice could feel the tension rising as Hayate pointed to aforementioned board.

"Ummm, I know this is sudden, but let's announce the first two fighters."

The board turned on with a click, and names in yellow flashed too quickly to read. Eventually, the board came to a stop on two names.

And Sasuke Uchiha was one of them.

* * *

 **The pacing on this lately is horrible. I may combine a chapter or two. Anyways, I had to add that humor bit! Once again, Sasuke may have been a little OOC, but realize that humor bits should be taken less seriously, like episode 101 of the anime. I am a little more confident with handling Sasuke now, after watching Swagkage's YouTube video on him. It practically took all of what I thought of Sasuke, compiled it into an organized pile, and added a few cherries on top. Sasuke isn't just on a selfish revenge quest, and that means a lot. He sees it as sort of a moral obligation, and that helps set the ground for when I decide to make a move on the pairing. I think that it's really hard to keep the balance between this realization and OOC'ness, and that's why SasukexOC is hard to pull off. Yes, there's those Mary Sue inserts, but there is also just some general misconception and attempts at trying to balance the romance with Sasuke's character. I still think it can be done, maybe not by me but by someone else. Sasuke was a naturally kind kid (not to mention kawaii) and I find it hard to believe he lost all of that after the Uchiha clan massacre. He's also, according to Swagkage, really objected to doing anything that He would think Itachi would do, and I think that would make it so he's opposed to being heartless. We will see if I can balance the scale and actually pull it off ^_^**


	20. Chapter 19

**(Sorry about the false updates, that was editing.)**

 **I added a prologue, you may want to go check that out. Also, I mixed up this fight just a bit to add more… Flavor. Hope you like XD it pained me to write this one… and I'm really bad with romance, so forgive me XD I think I'm edging into it at a good pace though. Darn it Sasuke, why are you so complicated?!**

 **We just got a huge snowstorm XD we got a little more than three feet.**

 **I wrote a guide on how to write a SasukeXOC. Yes, I suck, and I shouldn't be talking about how to go about that, but through this fanfic I have learned a lot. I made many mistakes, some unfixable, but I'm going to try my hardest throughout the rest of this story to make it work. I still have the sequel, after all. I can edit... Anyways, on with the story! I'm going to be editing a few chapters again as well, just as a heads up.**

 **(Quote below submitted by one of my good DA friends, who unfortunately doesn't have an account but thought that this quote would fit this chapter!)**

* * *

"You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see. But you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel."~ unknown

* * *

"Sasuke?" Ice stared up at the board, unsure of how to feel. Maybe it was for the best he was first- his shoulder seemed to be getting worse. But, at the same time, should he have to fight with little time to rest? She looked at Sasuke worriedly, her stomach twisting in fear. He smirked arrogantly at the board, but she could see annoyance in his onyx eyes.

"Now, these two entrants come to the front…"

Ice swallowed nervously.

 _Please don't get hurt… Who are you fighting?_ Ice asked mentally as Sasuke began walking to the open space in front of Hayate. _I've never heard of someone named Yoroi._

Her question was answered as Sasuke's opponent walked forward as well. He wore a mask that covered the bottom half of his face, and some sort of black contacts that covered his eyes. (I have no idea what to call those. They look like glasses but they aren't XD)

He was a great deal bigger and taller than Sasuke, making Ice even more nervous. _Bigger isn't always better, but bigger can also mean more experienced and older, and experience is almost always better…_

Hayate looked up, coughing as he did so.

"The two participants in the first fight are Akado Yoroi and Uchiha Sasuke. Are you ready?"

"Yeah…" Sasuke answered, looking his opponent over analytically.

"Yes." Yoroi said. His voice held a pleased, sadistic tone that made Ice shiver and want to attack him on the spot. _This guy… He gives me the same bad vibes as Kabuto… Sasuke…_

Ice looked over at the black haired boy, seeing him flinch and tense up. _It's the mark… Maybe sooner is better… The pain doesn't seem to be going away and it's sure as hell not helping him with anything._

"Now-cough- we will be starting the first match." (I almost put math… Vv-_-vV)

"Will everyone except the participants move to the second level?"

Ice almost wanted to say no. But there was nothing she could do other than listen to him and walk up the stairs to the second level. She could hardly hear Naruto shouting to Kakashi, which was saying a lot considering Naruto's talent of being as loud as a ban-chi in delirium. (XD) Walking had brought back the pain in her leg, and she actually welcomed it. It was a much needed distraction from worry.

"Hey, yo."

Ice stopped, but didn't turn around. This was one moment she wasn't happy Kiyo was around.

"Hey, somethings eatin' at you. Was it something I said? I was just kidding around before, ya'know?"

"It's… Nothing." Ice said quietly before moving on. Kiyo followed.

"Obviously it's something. I hate it when people say it's nothing. They should say "it's something but I'm not gonna tell you." At least be honest about it, right? I guess it's a natural response, especially for someone like you. Showing pain is a sign of weakness, right? That's why is such an arrogant prick. Look at him, he looks like someone is shoving a cactus in his shoulder and he's trying to hide it. He looks constipated!" Kiyo began giggling immaturely.

Ice's ear flicked in annoyance. "Can you please be quiet Kiyo?"

Kiyo's smile wavered, then faded.

"Come on, I was just trying to lighten the mood. Everyone is so tight about this exam. I am too. I just want to see someone happy, so I gotta be happy, ya'Know? Smiles can be contagious."

"Sometimes you have to be serious about things… Life isn't happy."

"No, life's a b*tch. But you only live once, why spend that life being miserable? I just don't get people."

"Neither do I." Ice answered.

Kiyo snorted. "Heh, yeah. People are weird. I think your blonde friend is up there at the top of the kingdom of the weird though. Seriously. Did he do a line before this?"

"What?"

"Did he- you know, never mind. You don't need to know what that means. Keep your innocence little angel."

"…"

"Alrighty then."

Naruto bent down and hugged the railing, looking down eagerly. Kakashi stood behind him, his expression dark.

Ice stared at her sensei. _Does he know?_

She looked back down at Sasuke, gripping the railing. Her nails scratched against the metal surface. _Meh… Please be okay…_

"Now… Please begin." Hayate instructed, stepping back.

Yoroi preformed a hand sign, his hand blazing with chakra as he pulled out and threw multiple kunai with lightning fast speed.

Sasuke inhaled sharply. He pulled a kunai from his pouch and in one swift motion deflected the stars, sending them on a return course to their thrower.

The pain in his shoulder spiked with this movement, and he lost his balance. Sasuke toppled over as Yoroi dodged the shuriken and came running towards him.

 _Dammit!_

Sasuke stabbed his kunai into the concrete and moved away just as Yoroi smashed his fist into the space where Sasuke just was, causing his heartbeat to skyrocket. He hated to think that the sound of cracking concrete was just seconds away from being the sound of his ribs snapping.

Sasuke thought fast, kicking his opponents legs from underneath him and twisting his own body into a lock-hold. Sasuke had a firm hold of Yoroi's hand, and his legs made it so Yoroi couldn't do much else.

"Yes!" Naruto yelled, unhelpfully, from the railing.

Sasuke smirked, feeling proud of himself. _A stupid mark isn't going to get in my way… Hn._

Ice watched intently, her brow furrowed. Something wasn't right. Yoroi wasn't making a big effort to escape. Her suspicions were doubled when he began chuckling.

He grabbed Sasuke's shirt, right below his chest. Sasuke barley had time to register anything before Yoroi's hand went ablaze with chakra.

As sudden as a wave crashing against the shore, Sasuke felt _weak._ The strength was being sucked from him, like a sippy straw. (Only it's not fun XD okay I'll stop…)

 _Gu… My strength… What is he?_

Ice leaned against the railing. She felt a sudden wave of dizziness. She could see his eyes widen, and his body begin to quiver. Seeing that sent a fear through her deeper than any fear she had ever felt before. It was like a flame against her heart, agony and all she wanted to do was make it stop. But she couldn't move, couldn't do _anything._ She was completely helpless.

Yoroi let go of Sasuke's chest and raised his hand, Sasuke's own arm going limp and allowing Yoroi to escape. Yoroi slammed his hand hard against Sasuke's chest, creating a loud and deep thump with a slight cracking sound. Sasuke made a half screech, half coughing sound and blood spewed from his mouth.

Ice felt panic jolt her body into motion.

"Sasuke!"

She didn't think as she began to go over the railing- until she felt a strong arm grab her.

For the first time in her life, she fought against her Sensei. She pulled as hard as she could. And when Kakashi grabbed her and put her in a hold, she struggled like there was no tomorrow, like she could die any second. Only, it was _Sasuke_ that could die any second.

"Ice, calm down. You can't interfere."

Kiyo stared on with wide brown eyes, unable to say anything. Kakashi was right, but it hurt him to see his friend like that… It made him wonder why the world of the Shinobi was so painful.

"How can I not interfere! This isn't right!" Ice replied, her voice a thick growl. "We are supposed to be comrades! Comrades don't try to kill each other and draw each others blood. They don't do this! Let go!"

No matter how hard she struggled, Kakashi wasn't fazed at all. Why was she so _weak?_ Always. Every time. She was always _weak_.

"This is the way it is. He is the one who opted to take this exam, and you opted to take it too. You both took those risks. You can't do anything now but watch."

"But aren't you the one that said- said that those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are even _worse_ than scum!? What happened to that?!"

Ice, in sheer frustration and desperation, bit down on Kakashi's arm as hard as she could, sinking her unnaturally sharp teeth into his skin. Kakashi only flinched slightly, and his hold never wavered.

Kiyo stepped back, feeling uncomfortable and helpless and unsure of what to do.

Ice felt her heart stop when she tasted blood. The scent of it stung her nose and made her heart stop. She let go and went limp, completely shocked. _What did I just do?_

Meanwhile, (as this was happening :/) Sasuke was trying to figure out _why the hell he couldn't feel the strength he felt before._ His body shook despite him telling it not too. He realized, in a sudden jolt, that he was left wide open and had to move _now._

He sat up suddenly, fighting the weariness that weighed his body. But he was thrust right back down to the ground by Yoroi.

Yoroi grabbed his forehead, and Sasuke grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away. But the larger Shinobi put his weight into his arm, keeping the already weakened Sasuke down. Sasuke could feel his strength fading again, like his life was being torn from his veins. His thoughts began to cloud as his hands slipped away from Yoroi's arm, going limp at his sides.

"You… My chakra… Your taking…it from…"

"Hehe… So, you've finally noticed?"

Sasuke felt the force on his head increase, the pull on his veins increase. He cried out, feeling like his body was on fire. Despite that, he felt cold. His body heat was going along with his chakra.

 _No… It can't stop… Not… Here… Dammit! I…_

He had to think of something. But Yoroi's strength and his ever growing weakness made everything seem impossible. Sasuke could feel himself growing weaker and colder.

Colder.

Cold.

Cold...

Why did that word stand out to him?

Who else was cold?

Ice.

What was the tactic he always saw her use in battle?

Sweep the legs.

Sasuke gathered all of his strength into his legs and kicked at Yoroi's leg as hard as he could. The larger Shinobi was not prepared for this, and went off balance, cursing. Sasuke then used his other leg to kick him off.

"Ugh… Damn you!" Sasuke spat, slowly sitting up. His breath came in sharp pants, and his head was light.

Ice looked up, feeling a slight relief. But it wasn't over yet. She gritted her teeth, fighting tears. Kakashi let go of her, but stayed very close and on his guard.

Sasuke straightened himself, trying to think of what to do despite the fog in his head.

 _That was close… But if he gets to me one more time, I'll be finished. He will probably try to make this a close quarters fight, and I don't stand a chance in a close quarters fight… this is it… What do I do?_

"Sasuke! Is this the best you've got?! Common man, this is pathetic! Are you going to let him walk all over you!?" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke turned, annoyed. _That little…_

His eye caught a familiar bowl cut and green jumpsuit. It was hard to miss, really.

 _Lee… That's It!_

"I'll teach you to turn your back on me! That was your last mistake!"

Sasuke hastily rose to his feet and stumbled out of the way of Yoroi's attack, nearly falling over.

 _Com'on Sasuke… Pull it together!_

Sasuke moved quickly, in a fashion that was burned into his memory yet completely unfamiliar and awkward. But he moved anyways, getting under his opponent and kicking up, just as Lee had done to him when they fought. Yoroi was knocked into the air, and Sasuke jumped after him, positioning himself behind his opponent.

"The dancing leaf shadow!?

"I admit, I borrowed that bit. But from here on out, it's all original!"

Sasuke pressed his pointer and middle finger into Yoroi's back, preparing his attack. Forgetting what would happen if he used chakra.

The thought burst into his mind when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, like someone was stabbing him.

"No… Not…"

He could feel the mark spread, searing into his skin, into his mind. He could feel the darkness, the cruelness, creeping up on him. Ready to take him down. That dark power in mercilessness, in a heart of stone and the complete urge to _kill_. As if something beast had decided to make itself home in his shoulder and come out as it pleased.

But what would happen if that happened?

He could remember it clearly.

He could still feel her cold hand on his wrist.

He could still see the fear rooted deep in his teammates deep green eyes.

 _No! I'm not going to let this thing take over!_

Sasuke fought, trying to push the darkness back. The pain in his shoulder increased, but he could feel the seal returning. Despite the pain, he smirked.

"Here it comes. Lions barrage!"

Sasuke's movements were like a blur, but it ended with Sasuke slamming Yoroi into the ground with a kick.

Sasuke skidded across the floor, his energy spent.

Both Shinobi remained completely still.

Hayate moved slowly across the floor, placing his hand against Yoroi's neck.

"This ones out."

As the proctor turned to Sasuke, the black haired teen began to rise, breathing heavily.

"The winner of the first round is Uchiha Sasuke. As the winner of this preliminary round, he gets to advance to the finals."

Naruto started shouting excitedly.

"Hah, you won but in such an uncool way! You came out looking like you are the one who got beat up! Hahaha!"

Sasuke turned to him, wiping the blood from his chin. "Shut up you little bi…. Oh well." Sasuke sighed and let it go. He didn't feel like yelling anyways.

Sasuke felt himself falling backwards, but he didn't feel like stopping that either. He got lucky as Kakashi moved behind him, holding him up with his knee.

"Pfft…" Sasuke looked behind at his sensei, smirking slightly.

"Get ready for a visitor." Kakashi said, his eyes fixed on his book.

"…what?"

He looked in front of himself, and found a pair of dark green eyes staring back at him. He actually jumped.

"Holy shit… Damn it mutt, you-"

He stopped. He noticed how scared she looked. Not just frightened, but scared out of her mind. Her eyes were wide and her ears flattened against her head. She stared at him for a few seconds, then sighed.

"Sasuke…. I was… So scared… are you okay?" Her voice was shaking, as well as her arm, as she reached out to his shoulder. Sasuke pushed her hand away before she could touch it.

He didn't notice how his fingers curled lightly around hers and stayed that way.

"Worry about yourself, Ice."

"But Sa-"

"Your going to have to fight too. Remember? Instead of focusing on me, focus on yourself. I don't need you all over me."

Ice looked down, still shaking. Sasuke sighed. How did he get himself in this.

She was _weak._ _Pathetic._ Why was he so concerned? He needed to worry about himself, and his goals. He didn't need anyone else. This was his own burden.

But despite that, the small boy he once was inside him ached. He was _lonely._ He hated that, hated that weakness. It only kept him back. But why.

Was he afraid? Afraid if he let anyone else take his family's place? Afraid he would go through the same pain he had on that night he let everything?

No. He would not admit that. It was a sign of weakness. But at the same time… He didn't know what to do. He was too tired to think, too tired at the moment to keep pushing her away.

"Ice, I'm fine…" He said quietly, so quiet only she could hear. Ice looked up, first shocked. Then that melted into relief. He let his eyes soften for one time. _Once._ He told himself this was the last time he was doing this. _No more._ _This then I'm done. I have to focus on Itachi… But just once…_ he felt his grip on her hand tighten without him telling it too.

Kakashi looked on in silence. _This is an interesting development…_ he glanced at his arm, which was still bleeding. _I wonder how it will play out… But…_

Sasuke bent down, putting his hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Alright, you're coming with me. We have to seal that curse mark before it's too late…" Kakashi ordered quietly.

"But I want to see who gets to go onto the finals." Sasuke protested, with a slight out of character whine. (I loved this part in the anime XD)

Ice whined too, but in her case it was an actual wolf-like whine.

She looked over at her hand, which was in Sasuke's. She could feel the warmth though her hand and up her arm. He was so much warmer than her… It made her feel _cold_ for the first time in her life. But at the same time, the contact comforted her, slowing her heart down. She stared at his hand, trying to make sense of this.

"No. If we leave it any longer who knows. It may end up being too late. We go now."

With that, Kakashi signaled Sasuke to follow him. Sasuke sighed and began to stand up.

He forgot he was holding Ice's hand.

No, holding it _back._ Not holding it.

He let go, jumping slightly. _Dammit._

He cast one last glance at Ice before following Kakashi.

For some reason, those deep green eyes stayed in his mind even after he left.

* * *

 **I spent a lot of time on this chapter, so please review. Every one counts, and it really motivates me, especially with a chapter as big to the story as this!**

 **Blah, I'm choking on this awfulness, help me DX I feel I'm going to be editing this one. I would like some feedback, specifically on Ice and Kiyo as characters, how you feel about them, and how you would like to see how the story goes from here. This is a big chapter in regards to the story as a whole, and it took a lot of planning and revision. I'm still not too happy with it. Next chapter comes Ice's match, which introduces a new OC, abilities, and is another big chapter in regards to the story and character development (or de-development… Mwuahahaha XD) so I hope you can look forward to that!**

 **Kiyo: hey. It's not just a random OC, it's my-**

 **Naruto: Don't spoil It! A spoiled story is almost as bad as ramen that's past its best by date!**

 **Kiyo: go read warrior cats. You have not known the meaning of spoilers until you get into that series.**

 **Pein: do you finally comprehend pain?**

 **XD**


	21. Chapter 20- Warning: suckiness max (XD)

**When I said that next chapter would be a big one, I lied XD this is a smaller chapter I decided to squeeze between because I feel it's time to develop some things. You'll see XD**

 **Ugh. I don't get it. Is it my username? My summaries? No reviews :/ I made a new story and I was really proud of it, and I thought it would get lots of reviews. It didn't. I don't understand what I did wrong. I see so many other people with truckloads of reviews and their fanfictions aren't… The best. Like I should talk XD but there is little to no grammar, dull characters, no plot other than Mary Sue, ect. I try to make my story interesting and make the characters three dimensional and relatable. Like Ice being easily frightened or Kiyo being uncertain whether he should make light of a situation or be serious. I just don't know….**

 **I'm not going to go through the rest of the fights, because they wouldn't chang**

 **e at all and it would just be a repeat of what you already know XD I am treading into dangerous territory regarding the SasukeXOC and I want to wait longer, but wait any longer and I will be hitting the Gaara point and then it's too late. Painkiller to the rescue XD (you'll get it later, medicine can often make people act a little weird. Pain hates the painkillers XD)**

* * *

Ice remained tense through the next matches. They were brutal, and the ninja involved showed no mercy. Naruto, thankfully, won his match without major injuries. Sakura didn't win but she wasn't badly hurt either.

Lee was badly hurt though. Gaara, the sand Shinobi they met before the exams, was just as cruel and dangerous as she expected. She felt bad for Lee, going up against someone like that. Gaara had some sort of darkness radiating from in him, something that didn't seem human at all.

Ice was scared. It was a different fear then before, a deep jittering of her nerves. She would rather feel this than the horror she felt before. She never thought she would rather fight than anything, but… Sasuke was more than that. If it were for Sasuke, she would get over that fear. Or at least, she would try.

Fear isn't something you can forget about. There is no such thing as fearlessness. Fear is something integrated deep into the fundamentals of ones soul, a function as serious and vital as eating and sleeping. It was vital to keep one alive. Courage isn't forgetting fear- it is having the strength to use that fear as a weapon, a drive. That was the way Ice thought, and she knew she was weak. She was weak, and therefore a coward.

It tormented her to no end, realizing that. All this time she thought she was getting stronger, strong enough to mean something. But she couldn't protect her friends, couldn't protect _Sasuke_. And what did Sasuke think of her weakness?

The matches went on, until the room was steadily becoming more empty.

Eventually, it was Kiyo's turn.

He had been talking to her the whole time, but she hadn't payed attention. Now she felt bad. She didn't want him to get hurt too, but… She felt different with Kiyo. It wasn't that mind tearing horror she felt with Sasuke. Just a normal fear.

He smiled, running his hand through his soft brown hair.

"What unlucky sucker did I get? Oh well, wish me luck!"

Kiyo jumped down the stairs cheerfully, looking as if he was just going on a picnic. _I will never understand him…_

His opponent was a black haired Shinobi of equal height, who wore a purple vest and see,Ed to have a love of knives. He had nearly twenty different daggers strapped to his belt.

Just as Hayate was about to say to begin, the doors were shoved open loudly.

Three Anbu officers, all in their masks, stood there.

They approached the hokage and bowed, lowering their heads.

"We apologize to interrupt you, lord third, but there is a matter of great emergency."

The hokage sighed and blowed the smoke from his pipe.

"Yes, what is it."

They stood up and moved closer, whispering to both him and Hayate. Ice couldn't hear well due to their masks, but she thought she heard the word "attack". Eventually, the hokage turned to Kiyo and his opponent.

"Due to an emergency, we will have to pause the matches for now and resume them tomorrow. All ninja who have not been in a match yet must come forward and give their name to Hayate." With that, the Hokage followed the Anbu out of the room.

 _I wonder what happened?_

Ice hung out at the back of the line, and she was the last to reach Hayate. For some reason, he didn't scare her. There was something about him that was non-threatening. Perhaps it was the fact he was coughing every ten seconds.

By the time Ice was able to leave and reach her tree the sun had set, and the stars just beginning to appear. Although she was tired, she didn't want to sit, or lie down. She didn't want to be here.

She didn't want to be alone. She didn't know why she felt the sudden pain, but she did. It was too quiet, too empty. Maybe it was because she had been with her team these past five days.

Or maybe it was because of Sasuke.

Ever since that moment besides the river, she had begun to view him differently. She didn't know what she was trying to do before- probably a mix of impulses from her past life. She had foolishly thought they were the same, both Sasuke and herself. She had changed, he had changed and that mixed everything up. Now she wanted a friend, a true friend that could quel Her lonlieness. Kiyo was a friend, at least, for as long as she had known him. But… It was a different kind of friend she was going for with Sasuke. She didn't know _what_ kind of friend, but a different kind of friend nontheless.

The best she could describe it was the huggy kind of friend.

Ice had enjoyed hugging Sasuke.(although he didn't XD) Being close to someone and feeling their warmth made her feel better. Like she wasn't the only one on the world who was living and breathing.

The problem was that she was _unsure_ of Sasuke. He was prickly, unfriendly, and completely focused on his goal. His goal to kill Itachi. Ice knew he would not let anyone get in his way, and at the moment she was too weak to be of use. She would hinder him. Therefore, he wouldn't want her around, right?

Then what was that at the end of his fight? He had softened momentarily- for only a heartbeat. But that single moment was enough to stay in her head. It was enough to make her heartbeat flutter with _excitement_. He wasn't a rock. (XD) He was living. He had softened up to her. Maybe there was still a way to get in somehow.

It was all she could think about as she finally stopped pacing and sat beneath the wide trunk of the tree, examining her leg. Blood had soaked through her makeshift bandage, and it had went all the way down her pant leg. How no one noticed she didn't know.

 _What are they going to say, "hey you got a big red spot on your pants?" It sounds a lot like the time of the month… but wait, that isn't relevant because it's all on the front of my leg… So… Why didn't someone say something? Maybe Kiyo could have said something? Well, I guess I'm a lot shorter than Kiyo… Naruto? Sakura?_

Ice shook her head, almost upset. Pants. Ruined. Being a ninja she should be used to clothes being ruined, but that was the thing. The more pants she ruined, the less she had to be ruined. Eventually, she would have no pants to be ruined, or to wear. So she would have to buy more. She didn't want to buy more. (XD)

Ice sighed and changed into something that wasn't bloody and torn. She had to climb up her tree to do so, and she nearly fell off the branch while taking clothes out of the hole she stored them in. She figured you shouldn't think about Sasuke, or anything else, while trying to balance on a tree branch. (No duh Sherlock.)

She changed into a pair of grey sweatpants that were not for ninja activity, and a long sleeved shirt with a husky sewed on to the shoulder. It was warmer than her t-shirt, but she still felt cold.

Not like a shivering cold, or teeth chattering. She felt so much colder when compared to how warm Sasuke was. She had never felt _cold_ before, not like this. She banged her head against her arms, frustrated. _Why won't this go away? Why can't I just be normal tonight so I can go to sleep and be ready for the fight tomorrow?_

 **Looks like someone is growing fond of the Uchiha brat.**

 _I don't want you here._ Ice snarled in her mind.

 **You can't get rid of me. We are one, remember?**

 _I don't care. You were quiet before. Stay that way._

 **Now now, why are you so ashamed to be a wolf?**

 _..._

 **You act like being a wolf is like being some sort of monster. Like it's a bad thing. Your turning more human than I would have bargained for.**

 _It's… Not like that…_

 **Oh, but it is. Humans fear what they don't understand, what they don't know. What is in the darkness is strange, mysterious. But who ever said it was evil?**

… _I… I don't fit in… They don't accept me. Because I'm not human… I don't know what I am…_

 **You are Ice. That is what you are.**

 _No, that's who I am._

 **Oh, but you're mixed up, little welp. We are borne into this world with a name, a breed. We are born with that, and we can't change how we have been born. You can be named Leaf, but later on in life you can be happy and friendly or dark and broody. No matter which you become, you are still known as Leaf. All of us know what we are. It is** _ **who**_ **we are that constantly bothers us.**

… _But am I human, or wolf? That's what I want to know…_

 **That is a matter that doesn't matter. How will it affect you? Even if you find how much wolf and how much human is in you doesn't change anything. You don't need to fit in. You never will be able to.**

 _I don't want everyone to be scared of me! I don't want to be lonely… Or weak. Maybe you don't need acceptance, but… I do…_

 **It doesn't matter whether you are human or wolf or both. The fact is, you will never be fully accepted. No one can. Humans don't like things that aren't like themselves, and it doesn't matter who you are, someone will always hate you.**

Ice sighed, closing her eyes.

 _I just want you to go away right now… I'm not in the mood to be having a telepathic argument with myself. Do you realize how insane I feel? It's like I'm suddenly bipolar or something._

 **Did you just say that? Well, sanity only matters to the masses. To an individual it is only an illusion of how you should and shouldn't act.**

 _What about the psychopaths that murder everything?_

 **I never said the whole illusion was bad.**

 _I want you to go now…_

 **I thought you were lonely.**

 _This isn't helping._

 **Then why don't you go to the Uchiha brat?**

… _He's not a brat…_

 **He kind of is. He always has to get his way.**

… _Not always._

 **He whined when Sensei wouldn't let him watch the fights.**

… _True. But don't be mean to Sasuke… anyways, why would I go to him?_

 **Because, like you were thinking before, he's cracking. He's shown you signs of affection. Isn't that reason enough?**

 _I doubt it was affection, and wouldn't it be weird to show up out of nowhere at night?_

 **No. Not for you.**

…

 **Stop being a coward and go.**

 _No._

Ice waited for an answer, but she never got one. She was just left in awkward mental silence. Eventually, the chirping of the crickets hit her out of her weird mental conversation, or lack thereof.

 _Well, she… It… Me… I don't know, but it was right about me being lonely… But I don't want to… But at the same time… If I want to be friends, I have to make some forward movement, right? Like Kiyo. He approached me, and now we are friends. So… Meh…_

Ice stood up slowly, her stomach fluttering. But she pushed on anyways, walking through the dark.

Just about every light was off now, and the village was dead silent. The only sound was something scratching at a grabage can. Even Ichiraku was closed, and they often stayed open very late.

Ice was unsure of where to go, but she figured she would try the hospital. Sasuke was hurt, and it would make sense for Kakashi to take him there.

The hospital was close to the hokage's tower, and a large tree was on one side of it.

The second the idea of walking through the front door came into her head, Ice dismissed it. Instead, she started climbing up the tree, peaking into the windows as she did so.

Part of her told her this was weird, and Sasuke wasn't going to be happy about her turning up at his window. If he was even awake. She didn't know what to do if he wasn't.

She kept going, until she reached the third level. She jumped from a branch and onto the side of the building, taking slow steps across the side.

Eventually, she came across a room on the far side, and at first it seemed no one occupied it. But, upon closer inspection, someone was laying in the blue sheeted bed.

Someone with a blue shirt and Raven hair.

"Sasuke!" Ice said out loud, then realized she shouldn't have done that.

Sasuke stirred, and her heart fluttered. She wanted to leave. Now. But he was awake, and the only way she was leaving was if she fell off the building.

Ice tapped the window. She could hear Sasuke grunt and turn over.

Ice realized the window was open just a crack, and tried pulling it open more. She succeeded, but almost fell.

Ice looked through the window opening. The room smelled like lavender and chemicals. Ice took a deep breath.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked up, only to jump and fall off his bed.

"Who the- Ice? What the hell?!"

"Hi."

"Why are you in my window?"

"I…" Ice trailed off. What was she going to say?

Sasuke walked towards the window, and Ice did not like the look on his face.

"Explain. Now."

"I… I'm sorry Sasuke… I… Was lonely, and I thought…" _why did I say that?! He's going to think I'm pathetic and make me go away…_

She looked away, readying herself for him to tell her to go away. But the words never came.

"Get you ass in here before I push you and make you go splat on the concrete." Sasuke growled.

Ice looked towards him slowly, and realized he had opened the window all the way. She looked up at him nervously.

"Are… You sure?"

"Yes. Now."

Ice took that as a "don't question me further or I'll tear your throat out" and crawled inside, rolling over onto the floor.

Sasuke slammed the window shut a little too loudly for her liking.

"I guess this is good, because I have sh*t I need to discuss with you."

Ice cringed, wondering what the heck she did to make him so angry.

Sasuke stomped across the room, sitting on the chair beside the bed.

Sasuke motioned to the other side of the bed.

"Sit. Now."

"I don't… Never mind." Sasuke looked like he was ready to use Sharingan.

Ice sat down slowly, never taking her eyes off him. She really regretted this now. He was _pissed_ at something.

" _You_ need to explain what the hell that was."

"W-what?"

"At the end of my fight… What was that?!"

"… I don't know."

"Well, I don't know either and you need to tell me right now."

Ice tried to look smaller. "I said I don't know!"

"What were you doing?!"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay…"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, like she was lying.

"That's all?"

"Yes!"

"No genjutsu?"

"No!"

Sasuke peered at her.

"None of your mind Tricks?"

"What mind tricks?"

"Stop playing stupid. You stare at me like you have X-Ray vision or something!"

"… Sasuke, did they give you medication that's making you act funny?"

"No…" Sasuke lied. He did get some painkillers after he had woken up, but he doubted those were affecting his thinking process. Well, maybe a little… (XD)

"… What was your point?"

Sasuke growled in response. He turned away and pinched the bridge of his nose.

 _Great. I told myself just once, just ONCE. And looks where it has me. I can't be worrying about this! I have to worry about Itachi and my goal! Not… Black Hayate over there… Hn. Black Hayate… Maybe I am being affected by those painkillers…_

"Sasuke?" Ice asked quietly. Her heart had slowed a little. It occurred to her _why_ she was scared of him. He had never hurt her, save for the one occasion when he hit her on the head for trying to eat a rabbit. Even when he had been taken over by the curse mark… He had never hurt her. Yes, he was scary, but would her ever hurt her? Her mind stayed on that question.

"Sasuke, can I ask you something?" She tried again. Sasuke looked up.

"What?" He growled.

"W-would you ever… Hurt me?" Ice asked, grabbing her arm. "I know it's a weird question… But I don't really know who to trust… I want to trust you…" Ice looked up, her eyes glowing.

Sasuke couldn't hold her gaze.

"What kind of hurt?" Sasuke asked quietly.

Ice looked up, surprised by his change in tone.

"I… Don't know…"

"Ice." Sasuke sighed. "Listen up, cause this is the first and only time you will be hearing this. I can't promise you anything. You know my goal… To kill a certain someone… It's more than a goal to me. Not even you would understand. It's the only reason I'm still here, breathing and alive. Sometimes I get so caught up in my purpose that I forget… That's why I don't want you to get too close to me. I can't afford to let anyone pull me down, even you. And… I could hurt you in the process…" Sasuke's eyes had lost all their previous hardness, and we're now deep onyx pools of sadness.

Ice didn't know what to say. She had never expected _this._ Ice looked around the room, trying to think of what to reply with.

"I… Maybe I can't understand… But maybe I can help you? I know I'm weak… But I can train. And I can-"

"No. This is my task, not yours." Sasuke growled, cutting her off. Ice stiffened.

"… Fine. But… I don't see how having ties and bonds will stop you from killing …your someone…" Ice almost said Itachi. Almost.

Sasuke shook his head. "Like I said, you wouldn't get it. It's just best for you to stay out of my business."

"But… Sasuke…" Ice swallowed hard. "Maybe you don't understand me either?"

"What?"

"You know I'm not normal… When people see the wolf in my they always cower or run away or spite me… I've never had the chance to form any bonds in my time in the village because no one wants to be friends with a _thing._ " Ice spat the last word out.

"This is my first chance to have a bond, any bond. Yes, I have developed friends… Naruto and Sakura and Kiyo… But they treat me different… They see the wolf and don't know how to react… Either they are scared or freaked out or just act unusually nice because they pitty me… I don't want to be treated like that… I've always been an outsider looking in, there's never been a chance for me to go inside and fit in…" " _ **you'll never fit in.**_ _" "_ I… Don't want to live like that anymore…" Ice stopped, feeling her throat grow tight and tears sting her eyes. _I just said more than I should have…_

She almost wanted Sasuke to scold her for almost crying and tell her she was weak. But something told her he wouldn't.

Sasuke was human too. Humans weren't meant to be walls of steel and hearts of stone. They were meant to have feelings and act on those feelings, meant to reach out to those around them. She felt content with the little bit Sasuke told her, of his own fears and insecurities. From that, she knew he was _human_. Living, breathing. And even the most cold Shinobi had feelings, and even the coldest Shinobi would break at some point.

Ice snorted. "I'm a disgrace to the Shinobi world… Remember that one rule of the Shinobi conduct? "A true Shinobi never shows his feelings, no matter the circumstances? Feelings are a sign of weakness, and only cloud his judgment and weaken his sense of duty?" Ice shook her head, and tears spilled over. _I'm so pathetic…_

"I wasn't meant to be a Shinobi… I don't know what I was meant to be… I think I would be better off if I was dead… Because all I wanted to do was help people, and protect the people I care about, but I haven't done that… I haven't done anything but be deadweight…" She looked down, unable to meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry you have to be on a team with me… I'm sorry…"

She heard a huff, and tried to make herself smaller. _I… I'm so weak… He probably can't stand it…_

"You're an idiot."

Ice heard the shuffle of fabric, and in an instant she was in Sasuke's arms, against his chest.

No, she wouldn't believe it. Sasuke wouldn't _hug_ her on his own free will. He would _never._ That is not something Sasuke would do. Yet, at the same time, it was Sasuke she heard. It was Sasuke she saw. He had the same smell that Sasuke did.

Ice tensed up, unsure of how to react. It was so _warm…_ but he could change any second.

"Maybe I can make it work…" Sasuke said quietly. He pulled her closer. "I don't know, but maybe I can make it work… But… You have to be careful… Like I said, I have to kill him… And if I get absorbed in that, back away and don't get involved, got it?"

Ice swallowed, trying to get rid of the clump in her throat, and nodded slowly, letting her body go limp. _Why_ he was doing this she would never know. He was so concerned about her… But it made sense when she thought about it. Sasuke wasn't as mean as he set out to be… He shielded Naruto… Risked his life for his teammates many times over… Itachi had taken so much away from him, but he couldn't take that… He couldn't take away Sasuke's kindness… It was weird, putting those two words together. Sasuke and kindness. They didn't really seem to fit, but they fit all the same.

" Hey, Black Hayate. No one knows. Got it." Sasuke said, giving her a little shake. Ice didn't realize she was falling asleep. _So much for being nocturnal…_ She also missed the new nickname.

"…yeah…"

"And I haven't made up my mind yet. So no saying anywhere or even thinking we are in a relationship. Got it?"

"…what?"

"Oh great hokage…"

 _What's he talking about? Relationship…_

"This is not friendship." Sasuke growled.

"It's not…" Ice asked. He was right, when she thought about it it seemed _different._ A bit more friendly than friendly.

"No. It's not. It's more than friendship and it's weird."

"Oh."

"Why couldn't you be a guy?"

"…what. That would be weird…"

"Yeah… It would be really weird if I was hugging a guy right now… I'm not gay."

"You know, it's hard to tell sometimes."

"… Your telling me you know what the word gay means but not girlfriend or boyfriend." Sasuke had the urge to punch something.

"I do!"

"… Holy mother of Madara. Do you know what mates are?"

"… Yes… Why are you bringing it up…"

"That's what girlfriend and boyfriend mean."

"Ewwww, that Rock Lee dude wanted to mate with Sakura… Right there… That's disgusting."

Sasuke face palmed.

"No. Not mate, be mates. God dammit, why are you so daft?"

"…what?"

"Exactly my point."

 _I'm getting myself into some deep sh*t…_ Sasuke thought bitterly. _And it's just getting deeper… At this rate I'll never be able to kill Itachi…_

* * *

 **This is so bad… Uhhhhhh. I want to kill myself… I just ended it there. Remember this is my first attempt at romance and I am not good at at. I will refine this as I go along. Like I said, I forgot I was hitting a tight deadline. I could've waited till after the fights, but Sasuke would be training then and he wouldn't be on painkillers XD but at the same time I found this to be refreshing. No blood and pain and death XD unless you count Sasuke's personality dead. With SasukeXOC. And most of fanfiction, you are going to have OOC moments because you are not the creator and you have characters in new situations. Your interpretation of them isn't the creators, and you have them do things that you think they would do. Then not everyone agrees to you. It's not just the issue with SasukeXOC, it's the issue with any fanfiction. It's just very bad with SasukeXOC because is a very polarizing character and people love and hate him. Also, I hope you like the new nickname for a Ice XD. I got it from Fullmetal Alchemist. Since Ice's wolf parts are black (cause she's a black wolf) I thought it would fit! Also, wolf parts sounds weird…**

 **Kiyo: heheh, wolf privates.**


	22. Chapter 21 temporary notice

**I'm sorry for not updating in awhile. I have been really busy, and dealing with a lot. I should have the next chapter up by Sunday. Thanks for staying patient! I will delete this once the new chapter is up! Thanks for staying with me And this crappy story XD**


	23. Chapter 23- The end

**Hey. I've got some bad news.**

 **It's been awhile. But I think I may have to cancel this story. I just don't have the motivation anymore, and I made too many mistakes early on that I can't fix. I've grown a lot writing wise, and this story would require a large reworking, which I cannot do now. Not to say it's done for good, I may come back later. But for the time being it's on hiatus.**

 **I want to say thank you to all that supported or offered advice for this story. It really helped. It's not because of you guys, it's because of me. And this fandom is pretty much done for now that Naruto has ended. I guess that's why I lost motivation. I really don't like Boruto, and they may kill off Naruto and Sasuke. They are cutting all old ties for a new story, and I don't think I want that. Naruto was amazing, and I loved it to bits. It helped me get through hard times in my life. But now the book is closing and it's time to put it down.**

 **Another factor is that I don't really mix well with the group of fanfiction writers here. Naruto OC'S have a bad reputation and the writers here turn their noses up at the idea. Ice is in a pretty bad situation regarding that- despite having large glaring flaws and a balanced character, she doesn't fit the current universe that well. I tried to make her fit, with developing a background that makes it so she isn't the only one (we never got to that point, so you wouldn't know.) But the fact is she's got wolf ears and tail and people don't give that a chance.**

 **Ice does live on, however. I have moved to the Undertale fandom, and created an AU. This AU Frisk shares huge similarities with her. I still wanted a story with a wolf influence and character, and I think it's working out smoothly in Wolftale. I know the Undertale fanfom is looked down upon, but honestly it isn't so bad. People make it out much worse than it really is. I've met a** _ **skele-ton**_ **of good people, and really I think the Naruto fandom is just as bad. Every fandom has those people, and it's not fair to judge everyone else because of those people.**

 **I'm going to be staying there now, snug as a bug. I may also write for Fnaf and Warriors from time to time, and maybe I'll come out with a few one-shots for Naruto. But my Naruto fuse has burned.**

 **Also, I may make an original novel featuring Kiyo, but not in Naruto (duh.). I just love the guy XD.**

 **Once again, I want to thank all of you who helped me and supported me. It meant so much. It still means so much. If I don't ever come back to this story, I guess it's goodbye to some of you.**

 **Or, it might just be a see you again soon. Who knows?**

 **I really hope you have enjoyed Fire and Ice. It's been a ride, and it's taught me a lot. Maybe one day I'll be back and return ten times better than before.**

 **Kiyo: Hey, yo, It's Kiyo! Sorry to see it end like that. I had so much to do!**

 **Sasuke: like what, die?**

 **Kiyo: hehehe… maybe? No, I had so much to do that wasn't dying! And why do you hate me so much, man?**

 **Sasuke:…**

 **Kiyo: Hey, hey, easy. Put those freaky eyes away. But hey, thanks to you people behind the forth wall for reading this Far! It was awesome!**

 **Ice:…**

 **Kiyo: hey, Icey, wanna say something?**

 **Ice:…**

 **Kiyo: uh, helloOooooh? This is probably the last time you'll get to say something, so it's better to do whatever and have no regrets than to hold off and regret not taking the chance.**

 **Ice: o-okay… I just wanted to say… I'm sorry if I made any of you mad… but I also wanted to say thank you… to any of you… who gave me a chance… I hope I get to see you all again someday… goodbye.**

 **Kiyo: Yeah, there we go. Was that hard? Well, guess I should say it too. Bye, everyone!**


End file.
